Life Debt
by Tsuuki
Summary: AU ~ Kagome, while trying to escape from a man trying to enslave her, earns a debt on her life she'll never be able to pay off. In return for Kouga saving her, Kagome goes to work for Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha as a maid with no name. Kagome/Sesshoumaru
1. Chapter 1 Race You!

**Author's Note: **Hello, everyone! Somehow, you've made it to my story! *gasp* All right, first of all, I'd like to say that I DO NOT…Yes, that's right, DO NOT own Inuyasha. Or any of the characters in here. None of them. The plot is mine, but that's not really something I could copyright..right? Copywrite? Copyright? Second of all, this story does NOT TAKE PLACE in modern time. It's an AU fic. Meaning Alternate Universe. Meaning that these situations don't really have anything to do with the actual Inuyasha story. …But oh well. Any resemblance these characters or situations have with living people alive or dead is purely coincidential. *likes saying that*

~

"Kagome!"

The raven-haired girl turned to her mother, hair matted down close to her face due to the exhaustion of trying to chase down her little brother. "Yes?"

Kagome's mother, a quickly decaying woman that always wore a smile, watched the two from the doorway of their quaint little house. "Bring Souta in, and then would you please go buy some rice at the store?"

Kagome nodded and rushed off again after her brother, who was running around in little circles, purely for the amusement he got from annoying his elder sister. "Haha, you can't catch me!" Whenever Kagome got close enough to wrap her arms around him, he would slip away and hop up and down a few times. She knew that the most affective way to bring him in would be just to leave him out there alone for a few minutes, but she liked entertaining him.

It was going to be dark soon, and after a long struggle through the dirt and grass Kagome was able to wrestle her brother down and drag him kicking and screaming into the house. The sun would set in only half an hour now, and she by no means wanted to be wandering the village at night. 

"Only get a pound or so!" Kagome's mother called out to her daughter as she rushed quickly down the steps of their temple, in a hurry to get there and back before the sun had completely set.

The small town the family lived in was nothing to brag about, but it served them well. No one was particularly rich, but everyone seemed to make ends meet. It was a tiny community, far detached from the constant wars of local feudal lords. No one paid it mind, and everyone preferred it that way. "Only a pound, only a pound, only a pound…" Kagome repeated this to herself as she stumbled up the dirt path, looking down at her hands as she tried to count the coins she had been given.

"One pound is-…" Her train of thought was cut off as she walked right into someone standing still on the path ahead of her.

"Oh!" She looked up, blinking with embarrassment, quickly giving a slight bow to the stranger she may have just inconvenienced. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you there and-…"

The man suddenly reached forward, grabbing on tightly to her chin and turning it this way and that, peering closely at her face. "Oi. Are you healthy?"

Kagome was on the verge of panicking. She felt frozen to the spot, clutching the money into her sweaty palms as she slowly moved her eyes up to meet the other man's. "N-no…I'm not healthy at all! I have…I have a horrid limp and my left eye doesn't work well and…"

The man who held her suddenly laughed, letting go of her face and giving her cheek a little pat. "You're a clever one, aren't you! But no, I can see you're quite healthy, aren't you? And what a pretty face…"

Now that Kagome had room to move, she could see that all things considered, this man wasn't all that unattractive. He had narrow eyes and black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and the most peculiar sharpened teeth that gave him the resemblance of a wolf. His clothes were regal, which struck Kagome as the most peculiar. He wore something very similar to a robe, a piece of cloth made of silk that well reached down to his thighs, and nearly his kneecaps. Under that he seemed to be wearing normal pants, although they were also made of a very light and comfortable looking material. This man was no common thief; not with the price tag on the garments he was wearing. 

"Kou-----ga!" Two strange looking men, dressed similarly if not worse than Kouga, stumbled up behind him, panting for breath. They had the most strangely colored hair, and similar to their seeming leader, their teeth were pointed into those of a carnivore's.

"It took you long enough!" Kouga turned to them, crossing his arms across his chest, causing the silk of his sleeves to bunch up around his elbows. "I've found one. Pack 'er up and let's get out of here. The stench of this place is disgusting."

Kagome was no fool. Whatever premature fear she had before had turned into full-blown adrenaline. As if Kouga sensed her thoughts, he quickly reached a hand out to grab onto her, shocking her with his speed. However, Kagome's reflexes were quicker, and before the man even knew it Kagome had begun sprinting off, somehow managing to hold onto her mother's coins tightly in her fist.

"Shit!" Kouga cursed to himself before dashing off after her, his feet moving at a ferocious speed. His two goons looked miserable with the whole idea, hanging there heads for a few moments before moving on after him. "Kou-----ga!! Wait up!!"

If not anything else, Kagome prided herself in her running. In only a matter of seconds she had made it to the forests that lined the village, and it only took a few more moments before she plunged in head first, skillfully maneuvering herself around the sticks and trees that scattered the ground.

_Damn! She's fast!_ Kouga was on her tail, but could never manage to make an advance on her. He had never met anyone who could outrun him, and if not anything else, he was quite impressed. _Maybe I'll just keep this one to myself…_he smirked, his new confidence giving him a burst of speed that almost brought Kagome into reach.

_What am I supposed to do?!_ Kagome was breathing so heavily she thought her heart might explode. Everything in front of her was turning white and fuzzy, as if sparks were flying in her vision. She barely felt her hand slipping into her shirt pocket, dropping the coins in there, as if she would get in trouble if she returned home without the rice or the money. As if a second sense, Kagome knew when her stalker was getting closer and when he was fading back. It was enough to keep her going, but for how much longer she didn't know. Her fear was fueling her legs now, but it wouldn't take long for even that to die out. _Mom…Souta… _The thought of her only family strengthened her will. She had always heard stories about girls getting kidnapped at night, being stolen away and sent to harems of famous kings, or being sold off as cheap prostitutes. But was it real? No…it couldn't be…

Suddenly, there was nothing under or around her. Her legs kept on moving in space, but there was nothing to pick up on. Her eyes twitched, the hazy light fading from them, and it was only then that she realized she was falling. Her black hair whipped against her face, and as gravity pulled her farther down into her destination, she felt herself grow hazy. The shock of the whole experience, and the wind blasting her fast made her eyes tear and drip with water. _I wonder if I'm going to die…?_ Everything seemed to slow down as she stared at the earth approaching her. She remembered this canyon. Souta would often play on the outskirts of the forest, and she would always point out the little colored rocks that marked that the cliff was only a little farther off the road. _No…I don't want to die…_What would her mother do if she didn't come home? If this was the end of her life? She hadn't saved herself…She had always dreamed of a spectacular, memorable end. _But this isn't real…It can't be me!_

Kagome was plummeting to the earth, head first, when she first caught glimpse of Kouga sprinting horizontally down the canyon wall. It was then that Kagome realized she only had a few seconds left to live or to die. The ground was only a few yards away now, and she would not accept this as the end. At that instant, a hundred things seemed to happen simultaneously. Kouga crouched back against the rocky wall and pushed himself forward with as much strength as he had left in him. Without even thinking Kagome reached out to him, and if it hadn't been for her stretch than Kouga would have well missed her by only a few inches. He grabbed on tightly to her arm as they soared through the air, using that one handle to pull her body close to his own. She unconsciously clinged on to him and to life itself as they skidded down against the gravel-filled ground, her body being scraped up and crushed by the weight of her savior and the force of gravity all moving her down towards the same place at the same time. She could feel her body crumbling beneath it all as Kouga and herself began to tumble, alternatively taking on the brunt of the sandpaper ground underneath them. The canyon wasn't very wide, as it had been caused by numerous small earthquakes over a period of hundreds to thousands of years. Still going at a decent momentum, with his back to the opposite cliff wall, it was Kouga who was unlucky enough to bear the impact that would bring them to a much too sudden stop. As both of the bodies sank down to the ground, Kagome swore she could hear the cracking of Kouga's already battered bones. 

There was a dragged out period of silence as Kagome lay collapsed next to Kouga, whose still bloody back rested against the rock wall. Everything in her hurt, and she had no doubt in her mind that Kouga felt the same, considering he was still conscious. Her arm and legs felt too heavy to move, and her eyes drifted in and out of a state of hazy mush and pure darkness. "Kou------ga!!!! KOUGA!!!" 

Kagome breathed out heavily when she heard Kouga's followers rushing towards them. Now that someone was there, she decided that it was all right to let it all go. She was so tired that she could barely even feel the pain caused by two arms wrapping around her and pulling her off the now bloody ground.


	2. Chapter 2 Owe You!

**Author's Note: **Again, I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters or any of that crap. Yay. Saying that just makes me FEEL better. ^_^

~

Everything throbbed. Kagome woke up to the most unpleasant, uncomfortable feeling she had ever experienced in her life. It wasn't exact pain…it was more of the knowledge that if she moved a single muscle she would be writhing in agony. Slowly but surely, it dawned on her that this certainly wasn't her quaint little room in her quaint little house. _You idiot…why would it be?_

She felt almost detached from the experience. However, whenever she closed her eyes, she would see Kouga's face contorted in pain as his body was crushed back against the hard rock. _He saved me…_she thought almost bitterly. _He attacked me, and then he saved me…if he hadn't come after me, then I would have…_Kagome couldn't help but wince at the thought. She'd be dead.

Extremely carefully Kagome began to sit up. It hurt more than she could possibly describe, but it wasn't death sort of pain. It was just really sore really bad pain that she knew would fade as soon as she stopped pushing herself. _Kouga was his name…right?_ Her legs felt like they were broken. She could feel bandages wrapped tightly around her body, and for a split second blushed a deep crimson when she thought of how she must look. But, much to her relief, whoever had healed her had also taken the effort to wrap her up in a robe as well as umpteen billion layers of vaccine soaked pieces of cloth. She had thousands of little cuts, she knew, but the gel pressed against them didn't hurt so bad.

As she looked down at herself, Kagome couldn't help but glow in the aftermath of it all. She had just escaped from a man who wanted to do god knows what to her, and she survived a fall off of a cliff. _Oh, and do I ever have the scars to prove it…_

Soon enough, guilt took over her senses. Kouga had saved her…Kouga, some complete stranger had risked his own life to save her. Sure, in the beginning he had tried to kidnap her and perhaps even sell her off to some whorehouse, but Kagome could have escaped from that. Without Kouga's help, she would never have been able to escape from death.

"M-Miss!" Kagome looked up, startled, nearly breaking off her already sore neck in the process. Standing in front of her was one of Kouga's groupies, with the strangest looking hairstyle she had ever seen. It was a mohawk, a very badly done one as well, with little bits of white hair jetting up from the top of his head like grass. 

"Are you all right? Please rest…If Kouga finds out that I allowed you to hurt yourself once more he'd…"

"OI!!" The wolf-man flinched, lowering his head. For a moment, Kagome was almost certainly convinced that it was Kouga who made the sudden intrusion. But, much to her surprise and relief, it turned out to be a man she had never seen before. He loomed over the two of them in the doorway, a look of disgust on his face.

"Oi! The smell of this place is horrible!" He raised a hand over his nose, faking some coughs.

The timid little wolf-man raised his hands in defense. "Th-that's just the antidotes I've been administering to this young girl's skin while she heals!"

The intruder snorted. "It's the filthy sense of wolf that's getting to me! Now, where is that good for nothing Kouga bastard?" He glared down at the mohawk man, stepping even closer to him. The poor thing was obviously terrified out of his mind.

Kagome, with extreme care, shifted herself back onto the futon that was laid out behind her to get a better look at the man. He had long white…no, silver hair, that seemed to puff out behind him like he was in a constant blast of wind. His eyes were a dirty gold, and he had these peculiar dog ears that Kagome could not take her eyes off of…His outfit was nothing to think about, though, as it was nearly the same thing as Kouga's except much more…red.

"Oh? And who's this wench?" The dog-man turned his eyes to Kagome now, raising an eyebrow. He leaned in a little closer, his nose twitching as he sniffed lightly. _She smells like…_

_W-Wench?!_ "Look…" Kagome hissed lowly. "I don't know just who you think you're talking to but…"

He gave a little grunt, turning his head to the side. "I think you're the one confused, bitch."

"Bitch?!" Kagome was getting furious. "Who's the one with the dog ears now?! Or do you forget so soon?! Judging by your hair I'm sure you haven't looked in a mirror in-…"

"MISS!" Kouga's friend had a look of pure terror on his face, staring at Kagome in such a pleading way that she really had no choice but to shut up before he had a heart attack. "I didn't come here to bicker with some silly wench, I'm here about wolf breath."

_Wolf breath?_ Kagome thought vacantly to herself, watching the strange youkai turn this way and that, sniffing the air before exiting back into the hall. _What an immature insult…_

"What an unpleasant surprise!" Kagome could hear that the rude man had finally found Kouga, though they were out of the doorway and she couldn't see the conflict.

"Inuyasha, what the hell do you want?" Kouga was obviously just as upset about the meeting as dog-man was. Kagome heard a thud and suddenly there was no more sound at all. Panic struck her, images of this 'Inuyasha' plunging his claws through Kouga's heart came to her mind. The wolf-man, however, calmed her with a gentle pat on her shoulder. "Don't worry. They're just discussing business. Now get back to rest; it won't be long before Kouga will be coming to see you."

Kagome, who had already been sitting on the futon, lay back onto it, being careful not to induce herself into any more pain. Of course it hurt, but, it could be much worse. She tried not to think of what had just happened, for her mind was much too hazy now to really focus on anything. She was tired and convinced herself that if she slept, maybe everything would be all better when she woke up.

~

"Get up."

Kagome felt like she was floating around in some thick liquid, even as she returned back to consciousness. Contrary to what she had hoped, she only felt worse now. Much, much worse. Not only did her bones ache continuously, but she doubted if she could even see straight, never mind think straight. Two hands gripped onto her shoulders, joggling her around a bit, just making everything hurt that much more. "I said wake up."

She managed to pry her eyes open half way, squinting to focus on the figure above her. It was Kouga, kneeling next to her futon, looking the exact same way he had looked when she had first him…well, she couldn't even remember. _How long have I been here…?_ Kagome rose her arm to her head, rubbing it with extreme caution. How had he healed so quickly? 

"Are you alive yet?" Kouga held her surprisingly gently as he pulled her up into a sitting position, trying his best to get her full attention without causing any more pain than what was necessary.

Looking up at her savior, Kagome could only nod.

"Good…Now, I know this is sudden, but I have a favor to ask of you."

Kagome stared vacantly before blinking. "Wh-…what? Where am I? And…and why have you healed…and…and…"

"Don't think you'll get any special treatment." The sudden anger in Kouga's voice startled Kagome, making her feel strangely inferior to her surroundings. "I saved your life. You owe me. You owe me your life." Of course, Kagome new this was true. But did he need to put it so harshly…? She felt more frightened of him right now than thankful.

"I, in a similar position, have a debt to pay off to an old friend of mine. I know you're not healed yet, but…For the time being, you will work there as his servant."

Much to Kagome's surprise, Kouga began to laugh, no doubt because of the look of confusion and god knows what else that passed her face in that instant. "I like you. You've got speed, bravery, and you're clever. How about this, then? Once you've served my time, you can come back and be my woman."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?!" _'His' woman?! The man saved her life but HONESTLY…_ "First of all, I don't even know who the hell you are, where I am, and why you even picked me up in the first place! You're the one who chased me off that cliff, so it's YOUR fault my life was in danger!" She immediately regretted saying that. She knew it wasn't completely true. And even if it were the truth, that didn't take away the fact that he had been kind to her as of yet.

A look flashed through Kouga's eyes, and Kagome couldn't tell whether he was upset or just amused. She felt like some circus animal…_Oh god…I just want to go home…_ "Get up." Kouga barked out to her, standing himself. "You'll be leaving in only a few hours. Don't bother packing, you won't need it. Don't question anyone, don't look anyone in the eye, in fact, don't even speak. Don't introduce yourself. No one cares about your name. No one ever will. But don't worry about it. I'll be back to get you. I promise." He gave her chin a little nudge, flashing her a smile that told her to be more worried about that than anything else.

Before she even knew it, Kouga was gone. She sat there for a numerous number of minutes before she comprehended what was going on. "Sold…" she muttered bitterly to herself. "Who was I kidding? I'm just going to be sold…I'm going to be sold as a pretty object to be put on a pretty shelf…" _'Don't introduce yourself. No one cares about your name.' _ That's what he had said to her. This was too much for her to handle. She wanted to go back to bed and never ever ever wake up, not until she was safe back in her own little bed in her own little room. Through force of will alone, Kagome stumbled up onto her feet, legs breaking once more beneath her as she made her way out the door.

~

For the next hour Kagome clung to the wall as she made her way down the wide corridors of the multi-roomed shrine she had been residing in. Countless numbers of maids and servants had walked past in the time it took her to make it outside, and none of them even gave her a second glance. They didn't stop, they didn't smile, they didn't do anything. _Is this what I'll become…?_

"It took you long enough!"

Kagome looked up to see Kouga standing there in the hall, a short green toad thing by his side, waving around some staff as if it were a baton to get other's attention. "So it's settled?" The toad thing's voice was as gruff and repulsive as its looks, and Kagome could forget about her pain for nearly a second. That is, until she looked up to Kouga.

He was staring at her with such a sense of pity and sympathy in his eyes that Kagome didn't know what to do. This man had the strangest mood swings she'd ever seen. Though, when she thought about it later on, her pathetic, limping, battered, bruised, and broken body was more than deserving of a sympathetic glance. "How…How long have I been here…?" She asked timidly. When had it come to a point where even talking hurt?

The toad looked disgusted and let out a little grunt of disapproval. "Don't worry, Jaken-sama." Kouga said quite calmly, shooting a glare at Kagome that immediately retracted any earlier good feelings she may have had before. "I'll make sure that she never speaks again in Jaken-sama or Sesshoumaru-sama's presence."

The dark-haired girl's eyes widened as she stared at the two. _What does he mean by that…?_

"Now, hurry up wench, we haven't got all day!" The little green thing squawked, hobbling out the door, but not after whacking that staff of his into Kagome's head as if she was some sort of dog. All she could do was stand there in shock, unable to move, leaning her bodyweight against the thick walls of the temple. She could feel tears come to her as the sense of endlessness grew deeper and deeper in the pit of her stomach.

"Go. If you know what's good for you, you'll go. Humans don't survive long here. I did my best to protect you, but…You're on your own after this." Kouga spoke quietly to her. She felt as if she was walking off to her own hanging. She turned her head to the wolf-leader, with such a look of misery and confusion that he twitched visually. "It won't be long." He said, lowering his eyes to the ground. "I promise."

_If…If this is my funeral, then…_ "Thank you." Kagome held her head up high as she limped down the hallway, eyes burning with effort. _Don't give up, Kagome! _she chided herself. _You can always escape. As soon as you heal, you can escape! Just hold on…_ As she passed by Kouga, he reached out, pressing his sharpened nails into the skin of her hand. "Don't do anything stupid. Remember…You owe everything to me. Never forget that."

Once more the raven-haired girl couldn't help but look up at him, but with contempt, anguish, or gratefulness, she wasn't sure. Before she could say anything, Kouga leaned down close to her ear. "What is your name?"

He asked it harshly and quickly, as if it were a sin. She got the feeling that it was something that must be kept extremely secretive. 

"…Kagome."

Kouga smirked and took her hand into his, pressing something down into it, and then quickly shoved her out into the fresh air, where an old-fashioned carriage awaited, with Jaken sitting at the reins of two very strange looking horses. "Stupid human! Hurry up!" 

With as much dignity as she could muster, Kagome tripped forward toward the carriage, eyes narrowing with the sight of the horrible little toad man. However, she couldn't help but be curious to why this had all been set up for her. There were thousands of other servants in that house…All of them healthy. Well, much healthier than her, anyway. She moved around whatever Kouga had given her in her palm, and it only took a few seconds to realize it was the coins. It was her mother's coins, and she couldn't help but wonder what her family was doing right now. The thought of them setting out a grave for their daughter…She had to fight to choke back a sob.

After further goading from the ugly little man, Kagome had managed to swallow down the pain and step as gracefully as her condition allowed into the small, rickety looking carriage. And there, sitting with a bored, if not disgusted look on his face was the same man that Kagome wished so desperately not to see. Inuyasha.


	3. Chapter 3 Protect You!

**Author's Note: **Don't own Inuyasha…blah blah blah disclaimer…blah blah blah…*Tsuuki is on her writing high, so will be spitting out a lot of chapters for a little while before turning into a lazy, useless bum again*

  
~

Inuyasha seemed just as pleased about the whole arrangement as Kagome was. "You…?!" He crossed his arms, and pressed his back against the cushioned seat, growling low in the bottom of his throat. "I should've known that wolf-shit wasn't to be trusted…Goddammit…"

_What a jerk!!_ Kagome narrowed her eyes at him as she sat down; shifting uncomfortably as the wood pressed against her bruised thighs. "Inuyasha!" The toad thing squawked loudly from his little seat up front, peeking his bulgy yellow eyes into the sliding window that was just behind Inuyasha's head. "Keep the human quiet! Don't let her make so much as a peep!"

He just sighed heavily, grabbing the handle to the window and slamming it shut so that the servant's ugly little face could no longer be seen. "Stupid little frog…"

Kagome just stared uncomfortably at him, not knowing exactly what to do. As the carriage shook to life, the hard surface she was sitting on bumped up against her still aching and broken legs. She opened her mouth to cry out, but seeing the curious look Inuyasha was giving her, she decided she would rather take the pain than let him have that sort of pleasure.

The first thirty minutes of the ride were in complete silence. Kagome held her hands firmly in her lap, trying her hardest not to doze off. In the start, she had decided she would keep her head up as a sign of dignity. But, as the minutes dragged on, she could barely even keep her eyes open. Even worse, her mind kept on moving back to the events of that night, and she couldn't help but wonder what she could have done to save herself. _If only I had brought Souta in earlier…If only I had looked where I was walking…If only I hadn't run so far…I should've hid…This is all my fault…This is…_

"…all my fault."

Inuyasha looked up, startled. The dark-haired girl was just sitting there, staring at her knees, mumbling incoherently to herself. Her eyes were starting to water, and Inuyasha suddenly felt a deep pang in his chest. "Don't you dare cry, wench."

Kagome swallowed hard, moving her eyes to look up at Inuyasha. The moment she blinked, a few tears managed to escape down her cheeks. "You…you…" Kagome couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. She snapped her head up, glaring at the dog-eared man with the cruelest look of contempt she could muster. "What, will you kill me now?! What are you waiting for, you ugly, foul-smelling, contemptuous, hateful thing?! I'm sure you'd just love to dig those teeth of yours into my neck, now wouldn't you?!"

"What are you saying?! That I would really lower myself to eating a filthy human like you?!"

Kagome opened her mouth to retort, but then the image of Inuyasha biting into a crispy human-like figure on a stick popped into her mind. Inuyasha, with his cute little dog-ears, and the figure, with smoke coming from its head and stereotypical x's portraying the eyes. She couldn't help but laugh, although it came out more of a sob than anything else. "Y-yes…" Tears dripped from her eyes as she hung her head low, leaning forward. "That's…exactly what I'm saying."

Needless to say, Inuyasha was confused by this whole act. It sounded like…she was LAUGHING at him. Laughing at him while tears poured from her eyes, while the bandages on her skin began to loosen themselves to reveal thousands of little cuts and bruises. _I don't get humans. _He scoffed to himself, turning his head away in an act that made his dog-ears twitch almost comically. "Don't worry, wench. I'm not going to kill you."

Kagome's eyes twitched in surprise, her back hunched over so low that her forehead almost touched her knees. _He won't kill me…?_

"Not now, at least."

She inwardly sighed. Of course. She should have expected this. For another few minutes they sat in silence, Kagome trying desperately to rid her cheeks from the tears without being too obvious about it. Whenever she got the bravery to glance up at Inuyasha, he was either staring out the window with a pissed-off look, or giving little childish glances to her. However, the moment he saw that she noticed, he turned away in quite a huff.

Again, another half an hour of silence. Inuyasha, who had become restless to the point of going insane, let out a deep breath. "…I don't care if you talk, either, y'know. I wouldn't suggest doing it around Sesshoumaru, but…" He inhaled, but it sounded like an annoyed sigh to Kagome. She could practically feel the boredom radiating off of him.

"So…" She gathered up her courage, grasping her hands together. "…Where are we going?"

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side, staring at the girl in front of him, who still refused to even glance at him. "My house."

Kagome's eye twitched some. _All right…This'll be harder than I thought…_ "Well…is there an ocean nearby?"

Inuyasha blinked at her. _What?! _"Yeah…the coastline is only a mile or so away…"

The girl fell completely silent, obvious in a deep state of concentration.

"What? Is that bad?" He couldn't hide the hint of anger in his voice. Her lack of conversation wasn't only upsetting him, but she acted as if his home was a bad place even though she had never seen it. Not that he truly cared what she thought, he reminded himself.

"Yes. I hate the ocean." The way she said this was almost enough to get Inuyasha on his feet. She acted so…so…so REGAL about it all, as if such a thing was beneath her. _I don't care what he thinks about me…_Kagome thought bitterly to herself, deceiving plots in her mind as she twiddled her thumbs together. _Let him think of me as a wench, then…I won't be kind for the likes of these people…_Not to say that it wasn't the truth. Kagome truly did hate the ocean. She had been afraid of it since she was a child.

"Where the hell do you get off saying th-…"

"What are you then, in all reality?" Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, interrupting him mid sentence as she bore threw him with an unwavering stare. "A youkai or what?"

Inuyasha visually flinched. Kagome grinned inwardly to herself, realizing that she had just reached a touchy part of him. "My father is a very strong and very powerful youkai!" He talked quickly, but she could tell it wasn't a lie. Every part of him seemed to burst out in pride with mention of his father, whom she had never even heard of before…Which might be due to the fact she wasn't quite sure of his name.

"What was your mother than?" She smirked, for sake of the little act she was putting on. She was feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing though, because she wasn't normally such a cocky person. "A weak and disgusting human, such as myself?"

A cross between surprise and pain appeared on Inuyasha's face. The little game she was playing suddenly felt meaningless to her as Inuyasha stared at her, totally and completely speechless. Instantly after saying it she wished she could take it all back. "I…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Please. I didn't know…I was just…" She hung her head once again, narrowing her eyes at her lap. _Oh god…what am I supposed to do now?_

The rest of the journey was ridden in complete and utter silence. Kagome winced, but not with the pain from her scars. Every time she thought about how she had acted, she felt like a more and more ugly person. _Stupid, stupid Kagome…Why did I say that? Why?! Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

Inuyasha was upset as well. Both about what she had said about his mother, and about what she had done about it. _She looks so miserable about it…Do you want me to hate you? Is that it?_ He suddenly realized that this girl didn't stand a chance with the job that was going to be presented to her. Being Sesshoumaru's maid…She would be killed in an instant.

As the carriage finally began to slow at the front of a decent sized house (that resembled more of a castle, in Kagome's opinion) Kagome looked up to glance out the window. It wasn't a huge Arabian palace or the like, but it was still the most magnificent building the young girl had ever seen.

"You know…" Inuyasha spoke in a gruff voice, catching Kagome completely off guard. "It's dangerous in there, for you…and I don't mean raids or anything like that…" He was glaring out the window, flexing and unflexing his claws. "You should always do what you're told…but…if you're ever in any serious need of help…"

Kagome tensed up, eyes widening considerably. _Does that mean…he'll protect me?! _She stared at him, mouth opened slightly. It was the kindest, most inspiring thing she had ever heard in her life. Even if he hadn't even finished his sentence.

Inuyasha blushed vaguely when he saw the look the girl was giving him. She looked so relieved, and her eyes literally sparkled with admiration. _But, is it the truth? Can I really protect her? Every time I see her I see Kikyou instead…Is that why I want to make sure she stays safe? _"Yeah." _Inuyasha, you idiot, what do you think you're saying?! _"I'll protect you. I promise."

~          

Upon entering the building, Kagome was torn away from Inuyasha, whom she had tried her best to stay near ever since the promise he had made her. She didn't necessarily believe it, but…It was all she had right now. Inuyasha was all she had, and she would've sold her soul just to stay near him. 

"You! Girl!" Kagome didn't know it, but for the next long time, this is what she would be referred to by pretty much everyone who knew her. "Hurry up, would you?! Getting a beating this early in your career does not reflect well on our establishment!" The toad man, which Kagome had discovered to be called Jaken, was guiding her down the stone hallways, never forgetting to give her a little whack in the leg with his staff every once in a while. Needless to say she was aching more than ever before, and speed was something she just didn't think she could manage.

"You'll go in here, take a bath, get dressed, and come down to the dining hall right away! You will not speak, you will not look at anyone unless told to! Let me repeat that, you insolent fool of a girl! You will not make even the slightest noise!" Before Kagome could even respond, Jaken was pushing her into a small doorway, pressing his staff into a very sensitive part of Kagome's back. The second she had entered completely, the toad-youkai reached up and slammed the door shut behind her. 

"Little creep…" She rubbed her back as she looked around. At first, she had expected every room in this wondrous castle to be beautifully designed and taken care of. But, this bathroom, if it could be called as such, was one of the most poorly cared-for rooms she had ever seen. The paint on the walls were chipping, and there were only two very narrow windows, making it seem more like a cell than anything else. In the center of the room (which wasn't tiny, but by no means large) there was a decently sized wooden bathtub. It easily took up 2/3 of the entire floor space, and even considering the horrible surroundings, the steaming blue water was more than enough to make Kagome consider it beautiful.

Very slowly, she stripped herself of the bandages and padding that had begun to loosen considerably ever since she had gotten on the wagon. She was surprised to see how well the cuts had healed in such a short amount of time. That wasn't to say she was fit or healthy by any means, but if she had only been lying in that bed for a night, then she was doing quite well. _Wait…just how long WAS I unconscious…?_

Kagome stored the thought in the back of her mind as she slowly lowered herself into the almost unbearably hot water, hissing. Somehow, she got the feeling that there was more in this than water. Her cuts were beginning to tingle, and her bones themselves were turning into mush. But, all things considered, it felt good and she was able to temporarily forget her pain.

_Inuyasha…_Kagome sighed at the name, sinking down into the water so that the bottom of her chin was submerged. _When will I get to see him again…? _

~

It was amazing how much better Kagome felt after that bath. Her bones barely hurt, and her cuts only caused her annoyance when she touched them. She dressed quickly, in the only clothes that had been laid out to her. A simple black dress with a white collar and long sleeves. Long sleeves with little puffs at the shoulders, that made Kagome wince when she looked into the dirty and cracked mirror. "A nun…Yes, that's it. I look like a nun." The dress went down to her knees, and much to her surprise she wasn't provided with any shoes. Only a pair of white socks that barely even reached her shins. "Well…" She took a deep breath, staring at herself in the mirror. _Here I go…_

The moment she left the bathroom she could hear Jaken's shuffled steps coming towards her. "You! You stupid stupid girl! What do you think you're doing?! Where's your hood?!"

_Hood…? _Kagome stared at him with a completely clueless look on her face as he stumbled into the bathroom, grabbed some black, heavy-looking piece of cloth, and threw it up into her arms. He held his robe over his mouth as he ran back out, giving Kagome the hardest smack yet. "The smell is disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! Now hurry up, would you?! You stupid stupid human, there's no time! No time! You must serve to Sesshoumaru right away! You stupid human!"

Kagome was still stunned from the amazingly strong hit she had just received in her face with that staff Jaken always carried around. She looked down at the black piece of cloth, but had no time to stand there and figure it out. With a few more threats from Mr. Toad, as she would so affectionately call him when she got the chance, she was limping down the hall as fast as she could while trying to get the heavy cloak onto herself. It was a mantle that went down to her stomach, and it was almost staggeringly heavy. It was designed so that the cloth was cut off at her shoulders, giving her arms room to move around, while completely covering her neck and torso. In other words, it was a rectangular piece of cloth that was longer than it was wide. The minute she had her head in the hole, Jaken was again beating at her with his staff. "Put up the hood! The hood, you stupid girl, the hood!" He was screeching and ribbiting at the same time, leaving Kagome completely discombobulated. She reached back and felt around before realizing there was, indeed, a hood on this little coat she was being forced to wear. She pulled it over her head, and almost tripped over due to the effect it had. Not only did it make it hard for her to lift her head, she couldn't see anywhere in front of her. All she could do was stare at the ground in front of her to make sure she wouldn't fall.

"That's it! If you know what's good for you, you'll never show your face in public! Got that?!"

She swallowed hard. _Is this what my life will be? Even now, I feel like I'm losing myself. But…they couldn't steal THAT away from me, could they?_

~

The dining hall was packed. Important and not-so-important looking men alike were all gathered around a single long table, and just as many stragglers hung around against the walls, chattering excitedly. Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably in his seat of considerable honor, peeking around the heads of everyone coming in. _Dammit…where is she? What if she's already here? How will I recognize her?_ He glanced over to the empty seat at the head of the table. The seat reserved solely for his father, the great Inutaishou. Sesshoumaru was supposed to be sitting across from him, but he hadn't arrived yet. _Not that I'm surprised…_Sesshoumaru had always been the anti-social of the family. He preferred to stay away from people whenever possible.

Inuyasha just couldn't seem to get his mind off of Kagome. He had been anxious all evening, thinking of all the possible scenarios he could have for meeting her today, but how could he know it was her? All the maids wore those hoods, so none of their features could be seen…He didn't even know her name.

Suddenly, Miroku (Inuyasha growled inwardly the second he saw his perverted foe) stood, raising his glass into the air. "Everyone! I would like to propose a toast!"

Inuyasha groaned when he saw how intoxicated the man must be. Miroku was a fool to call so much attention to himself. Unlike most occasions, there were just as many humans present as youkai…However, that didn't mean that giving himself a bad reputation was a particularly good idea. Just as Inuyasha was about to yell for Miroku to calm down, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. _Jaken…? What the hell is that little toad doing here?_ Jaken NEVER made public appearances. Sesshoumaru had ordered it to be that way, since Jaken had an amazing talent of making everyone he crossed upset and downright disgusted. The hanyou immediately perked up when he saw the stumbling maid following him, constantly opening her mouth to speak but being smacked upside the head each time with the frog's nasty cane. _It has to be her…! _Just by the way the maid limped, Inuyasha knew without a doubt that it must be the same girl who he had ridden in the carriage in earlier. _Well…I've found her, but…What am I supposed to do now? _

Jaken gave Kagome a little push into the room while everyone else was still distracted by the drunk and raving Miroku. She stood there, in a state of utter confusion, before another maid was kind enough to rush over to her and whisper some things into her ear. Inuyasha turned his ears towards the pair, even though he knew it was useless. It was impossible to hear anything but Miroku from distance. 

~

Kagome stood in the midst of all these strangers, only partially registering the presence of the ranting man making a scene in the center of the room. It was best for her, really. The last thing she wanted right now was someone to realize she didn't know what in the world she was supposed to do. She stood alone in the corner, her hands and knees unconsciously shaking with fear. _What if I screw up…?! What will happen to me?! _She swallowed hard, beads of sweat starting to fall down her face. 

"Psst…Are you the new maid they just brought in today?" Kagome started with a jump, turning to see who it was. The girl who had just spoken pulled Kagome's hood back just enough so that she could see decently well without her face being completely exposed. "There…You learn how to wear these things over time." Kagome could see the girl smile, and she returned the gesture. "Th-thank you…And yes, I was just brought in today, but…"

The helpful girl nodded, pointing over to a specific spot at the table. "That's where you'll go. Kneel behind Sesshoumaru-sama. But do not speak! Do not even let him know you are there! Be very careful…If you do that, then I can meet you again tonight, okay?"

Kagome nodded, still confused, but she knew where the girl was talking about. And, who else would she trust? It was better than nothing. The maid turned, about to hurry off, but Kagome was quick to grab onto her arm. "Wait…what's your name? So I can find you after…"

The girl paused, as if thinking. "I…just ask for the youkai exterminator, all right…? They'll know who you're talking about."

Before Kagome could say anything the girl was off, leaving Kagome standing alone once more. She glanced up at the man who was making a racket before rushing to kneel behind the pillow that the maid had just pointed to. _Sesshoumaru…Yes…Mr. Toad had mentioned him too…Is that who I'm going to be serving?_ A horrible thought suddenly crossed Kagome's mind. _Serve him…wait…what is that supposed to mean?! _

The large doors at the end of the room suddenly burst open. Everyone immediately quieted down, taking their seats if there were any available, while the others tensed up and stood erect. A young boy with adorable freckles and his hair pulled back into a rough ponytail stood at the opening. "Now, I would like to present to you…Inutaishou!" Right after saying this he scurried to the side, eager to get out of the way.

A tall, hulky man walked in, adorned in the most beautifully designed robes Kagome and probably everyone else in the room had ever seen. He was grinning wide, the kind of smile that caught on easily. Kagome was tenser than even she realized, with her hands trembling violently. She breathed in quickly and breathed out deeply, trying to regain herself. _Come on, pull yourself together. Don't be so afraid. They can smell the fear on you! You can do this. You can do this._ Kagome was so busy comforting herself that she didn't even realize the Inutaishou man approaching her direction. Luckily he swept right on by, settling himself down on a beautiful pillow that was uncomfortably close to the shaking maid. _Breathe Kagome…Breathe._

"Inuyasha, my boy!" As soon as the man had settled down, everyone went back to talking among themselves. Kagome raised her head suddenly when she heard the name. _Inuyasha?! He's here?! _Sure enough, sitting right across from her was Inuyasha, staring up at the youkai lord. "Yes, father?"

The lord had an amazingly deep voice, and he slammed his fist down on the table good-naturedly. "Where's Sesshoumaru off to, eh? Skipping out, is he?"

"I-…"

"No, father." Inuyasha and Inutaishou looked up simultaneously, although Kagome was much too intimidated. She sat there, perfectly still, somehow able to calm down the shaking of her own body to a point where it couldn't even be noticed. _Look at me, Inuyasha…It's me. It's Kagome. Look at me._

Kagome's line of sight was instantly broken the second a man sat down gracefully in the pillow lying in front of her. She twitched only slightly, staring at the back of his head. The first and only thought that came to her head was…_He has the most beautiful hair I've ever seen._

Conversation went on well enough between Inuyasha and his father, and every once in a while some woman or feudal lord would come over to pay his or her respects to the dignified demon. Kagome tried her best to listen, but she couldn't hear much. All she could do was stare blankly at the hair of the man she presumed to be Sesshoumaru. Not once had he spoken, and Kagome was getting more and more nervous by the second.

Growing restless, Kagome turned her head to look down the long lines of maids. Much to her surprise, every single person sitting at that table had their own personal servant. They were all young women, and they were all wearing the exact same outfits.

She leaned back, stretching her neck as far as possible, looking for the kind girl who had helped her earlier. Inuyasha was an impossible target due to Sesshoumaru's head, and she was not about to risk playing peek-a-boo around a seeming-deadly youkai. _I don't recognize everyone…They all look the same. Is that how I look? _

She sighed heavily, turning her head back to the man whose back was turned to her. Or, at least, to the man who she thought would have his back turned to her. Time itself froze the instant she realized his eyes were boring into her. He had swivled his body to the side, leaning back on a hand and turning his neck ever so slightly to be staring down at the top of her hood. She could not see his face, but she could see his torso, and his presence was not easy to miss. All of the life in her began to sink down lower in her stomach, as the lord's son would not take his eyes off of her.

"Sesshoumaru? What is it?"

_Oh no…Oh god no…_Now she had attracted the attention of not only the lord's son, but of the lord as well. _Inuyasha…Save me!_

"Who is this?" Kagome tensed even more when she heard his voice, if such a thing were possible. It was deep and calm; much too calm for Kagome's liking. It was, even over the escape from Kouga, the most frightening thing she had ever had to experience. "It couldn't be the new maid I sent for, could it?"

Kagome took one last deep breath. _I won't be scared, I won't be scared, I won't be scared…_

"Well, let's see her then." Instantaneously, Kagome felt a sharply clawed hand grip onto her chin, pulling her head forward. The hood drooped forward, only concealing herself further, something that she was temporarily grateful for.

"Sesshoumaru, it's just the-…" _Inuyasha! _Kagome let out a breath of relief. _That's Inuyasha's voice!_

"If she is to be my maid, then let me see her then." Sesshoumaru's voice was cold, calm, mocking, intelligent, deep, and smooth all at once. Kagome had gone from being horrified to being downright confused.

"Sesshoumaru, just leave her alone!" Inuyasha had a hint of desperateness in his voice, but it did him no good. Before he even had the chance to finish is plea, Sesshoumaru had swooped his hand forward, pulling the hood roughly back from Kagome's face. Everything in her body immediately went cold. She hadn't known it before, but the room had long since fallen silent, with the attention of all of them focused on her and her alone. _You can't kill me, you can't kill me, you can't kill me, you can't kill me…_

Slowly, she raised her head to look Sesshoumaru solidly in the eye. She felt so detached from the whole experience that she wasn't positive whether she looked outright scared or rudely confident. All conscious feeling left her body the moment she met Sesshoumaru's glance with her own. _What amazing eyes._


	4. Chapter 4 Obey You!

**Author's Note**: The most depressing thing about writing these things is the amount of work it takes for such a short amount of story. *bashes head against desk* Six pages in word is next to NOTHING on this site…dear sweet holy mother…*sigh* No, I don't own Inuyasha. And anyone who has taken the time to review, thank you. I really really appreciate it. ^_^ But, if anyone here just wants to read my stories, that's fine too.Listening to people begging on hands and knees for reviews is bad enough…But really, I just want to say, Kagura, you're so sweet. XD Thank you! *warm fuzzy feelings* And everyone else. I really really really appreciate it.

~

Sesshoumaru smirked to himself the moment he uncovered the face of the new maid, examining her every feature. _Keh…That fool Kouga made it much too easy for me, this time…_

"Sesshoumaru, what are you…" Inuyasha was in a state of panic. Kagome, though he still did not know she was called as such, would be dead in a matter of minutes if this kept up. Maids were not exactly treated with open arms in this castle.

"Tell me, Inuyasha, what business of yours is it how I treat my own servants?" For a fraction of a second, Sesshoumaru allowed his younger brother to capture his attention. "Could it be you have a soft spot for these humans?"

Inuyasha immediately tensed, gripping his fists violently into his lap. "Damn you…"

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I beg of your grace."

The youkai prince flinched noticeably, turning back to the servant in an instant. She had leaned forward as far as was possible for her, forehead resting against the ground as she pressed her sweaty palms to the floor. Then, in a quiet voice, she repeated it once more. "Sesshoumaru-sama, I beg of your grace."

The graceful demon's lip curled up menacingly, glaring down at the young woman bowing in front of him. _The insolent wench…!_

"Gyahahahaha!" Everyone started as Inutaishou let out a loud, good-natured laugh, slamming his large hands down onto the table, shaking nearly every plate that rested on it. "Come now, everyone! Eat! Drink! We cannot embarrass our Sesshoumaru here, now can we?!" He laughed once more, making the room itself vibrate.

Almost immediately everyone went to chuckling and talking among themselves, no doubt about the events that had just passed between the youkai prince and his young servant. "Sesshoumaru, my boy, you really must lighten up!" Every crack in Inutaishou's face glowed. "Come, if you will talk to a human, surely you would talk to your own father as well!"

Inuyasha snickered to himself, nudging his head towards Sesshoumaru mockingly. "Ah, such a pity that the wonderful Sesshoumaru must lower himself to corresponding with a mere kitchen maid for his kicks."

"Well, little brother…" He accentuated those two words to such a point he was almost growling. "It is easy to trust you when it comes to the subject of associating with lowly humans."

Kagome let out a sigh of relief when she realized the focus was no longer on her. She grabbed her hood and pulled it low across her face, nearly shrinking in embarrassment. _Thank god that's over. _For the rest of the evening, Sesshoumaru said next to nothing, unless an opportunity to insult the hanyou presented itself. Inuyasha seemed to begin enjoying himself, laughing and corresponding with the people around him, especially his father. Kagome could see the look of admiration that lighted up on Inuyasha's face every time he captured the attention of the great youkai lord. The night went on pretty much uneventful, except for the one visit Inuyasha's 'friend' Miroku made while in a completely drunken stupor. He had stumbled over to the end of the table, wrapping an arm around Inuyasha's shoulder as he slurred out a story about god knows what. The poor hanyou looked ready to dig his claws through the perverted man's heart at any moment. 

Not once had Kagome risked looking up at Sesshoumaru after the whole event. Sometimes she could swear she could sense his eyes on her, but she was always able to convince herself that it was only paranoia. _You have to calm down, Kagome. _She mentally comforted herself as she breathed in and out slowly, losing herself in her own thoughts. _Soon it'll be night, and you'll be able to sleep this all away. _However, unfortunately for Kagome, this ended up being longer than she had hoped. The night dragged on and on, and the poor girl was finding it hard to keep her eyes open anymore. She felt like she was in the carriage once more, trying to keep her dignity while trying to keep from passing out at the same time. Every time she caught herself leaning forward, she was able to keep awake simply by the sight of Sesshoumaru's striking hair. Kagome decided she couldn't stand the man, but she wasn't blind. No one could deny how beautiful he was. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Kagome, people began to disperse. Even the diehards like Miroku were beginning to tire out and return to their chambers, or, in another case, to their own homes and castles. Inuyasha had excused himself the minute his father had, and it took all the willpower Kagome had not to look up. She was almost hurt by the action, feeling as if he had just left her to be eaten by a hungry crocodile. That hungry crocodile, of course, being Sesshoumaru. 

It had come to a point where there were only a few servants left in the room, other than Kagome and Sesshoumaru. The youkai prince sat there totally calm and composed, every once in a while taking a polite sip from the glass of tea she hadn't even known was there. _What time is it? _Her thoughts were beginning to get foggy and meshed up. She felt it must be far after midnight, but there was no way to be sure. And, it certainly wasn't like she could ask Sesshoumaru about it. Still, she couldn't lose the feeling that he was doing this just to make her uncomfortable. If that was his goal, well, he was certainly succeeding, since Kagome's legs had far since cramped up and were now starting to tingle. When she felt like she couldn't stand it anymore, Sesshoumaru finally moved to his feet.

In a hurry Kagome shifted as well, ready to spring onto her sore legs the second she had the chance. But, before she even had time to act Sesshoumaru had taken a strong hold onto her hair, violently pressing her face down onto the wooden floor. Kagome gagged for air, scraping her nails across the mat as her cheek was crushed so roughly against the ground that she was surprised her jaw hadn't popped out. "Where do you think you're going?" He hissed menacingly down at her, pulling up on her hair before shoving her down once more. "You'll be a proper maid and wait politely for your master to leave before even thinking of acting. Have you got that?"

Kagome gagged again, tears springing to her eyes. "Good. That's what I thought." Sesshoumaru let go suddenly, straightened himself out, and walked gracefully from the grand dining hall. The poor girl sat there for a moment in shock, barely being able to find the energy to push herself up onto her knees. If she were given the opportunity, she would have just fallen asleep right then and there, not caring about the consequences. 

"Hey…" Kagome barely even registered the comforting, somewhat familiar voice. In a sudden fit of frustration she raised her fists, beginning to pound them against the floor as hard as she possibly could. "Goddammit! Goddammit goddammit goddammit! This isn't real! This isn't fair! Just let them kill me…" Her vision went hazy as she lost all the energy she had previously found in her rage. "Just let them kill me…"

A gentle arm rested around Kagome's shoulder, taking her hands and helping her to her feet. "You did wonderfully, you know…"

The poor raven-haired girl rubbed her cheeks, turning to look at her savior. It was the same maid as before; the one that had helped her find her spot. "I can't think of anything better that you could've possibly said. You did a very, very, very good job. I'm impressed…" The girl smiled, pulling Kagome's hood back. "Don't worry, it won't always be this bad. Sesshoumaru is a tough nut to crack…I think your cleverness just startled him a little. It'll get better, I promise."

Kagome stared up at the pretty young maid in silence for a few moments, before nodding a little. "I'm Kagome. I know I shouldn't tell you my name, but…Please. If Sesshoumaru doesn't like me, then…Well, I want to be remembered as Kagome…"

The girl looked down at her sadly before pulling her into a strong hug, pressing a hand into the back of her head. "Kagome! …I'm Sango. Don't worry, Kagome…I can see that you're strong…Stronger than me, at least…Trust me…You'll be all right." Kagome could hardly hold back her tears as she gripped back onto her new friend; as if she were a sister she hadn't seen in a century. "Sango, then…" Her situation suddenly didn't feel so desperately hopeless. "Then, what am I supposed to do now?"

There was an awkward pause before Sango pulled back, looking around to see all the other maids and servants staring at the pair strangely. "Come on…I'll introduce you to the others. I'll show you where you need to go." She grabbed on tightly to Kagome's wrist, leading her out of the dining room and dragging her down the halls.

"Everyone! I would like to introduce to you my new friend Raven here." On the way down the corridors, Sango had explained to Kagome that in the servants' world everyone had nicknames. Hers was youkai exterminator, which she promised to explain to her younger counterpart as soon as she got the opportunity. Sango had decided on the name 'Raven' because of Kagome's pure black hair. (Even though Kagome was convinced Sango had the exact same color.)

All the maids in the room looked up as soon as Kagome and Sango entered. They all looked friendly enough…although some looked more tired and broken in than others. "This is the maids' chambers. This room is reserved for all the servants who have a certain lord or master they must serve to. Here is where you get changed into the night clothes." Sango pointed over to an old cabinet that had at least three racks filled with dresses of all the same style and size. "After you get changed, you have until 2 AM to get to your master's room on nights like these…Other than that, it is to his discretion. Don't be late. Don't ever be late." Sango said this to Kagome in such a way that she suddenly had the feeling that Sango must have been late before, and suffered considerable consequences.

"I want to talk to you more, Raven…But, it's almost 1:45 now…Tomorrow morning, if Sesshoumaru permits you…" Sango was immediately cut off by a few of the other maids who were rushing around the room trying to get changed.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?! Wait…This girl is Sesshoumaru-sama's new one?!"

Sango blinked at the girl with short brown hair, who had just spoken. "Yes. Does that surprise you?"

"Well, it's just that…I heard rumors about how Kouga had…well…you know…"

Most of the other girls in the room immediately perked up when gossip was taken on as the topic of conversation. But Sango was quick to pull Kagome away from the swarms, shoving her towards the cabinet. "Just grab one and put it on quickly. Like I was trying to say before, if possible, come here tomorrow morning as early as you can. Don't disobey Sesshoumaru, of course, but…" She glanced over at the buzzing group of teenage girls, all who were giggling over some dirty rumors they had heard from some of the more irresponsible lords and cooks. "You'll get to know them soon enough. Now, hurry!"

Kagome was a little discombobulated over the whole situation, but she managed to pull the black cloak and dress over her body and get the new gown on in a matter of only minutes. The 'night dress' as the maids called it was nearly the same thing as the 'day one,' except that it was white and had a row of white bows going down the collar. Kagome sighed, just over how ridiculous it looked on her. Her black hair and dark brown eyes contrasted so drastically with the white dress and socks that she felt her head might be lost in comparison. 

"Now then, Sesshoumaru's room is down the stairs that will be on your left, fifth door to the right, across from the window with the big green curtains. Got that?" Sango spoke in a hurry, straightening out the folds on Kagome's outfit the whole while.

"Wait…" Kagome swallowed, looking up at the taller girl. "How do you know that?"

"We have our own society in this castle. We know more about what's going on than anyone else, I'd wager. But there's no time. I'll talk to you tomorrow, I promise!" Sango turned the frightened girl around and pressed her hands into her back, giving her a nudge along. "There you go!"

Before leaving, Kagome made it a point to turn and give Sango a quick, tight hug, smiling happily. "Thank you."

The youkai exterminator smiled back, patting Kagome on the shoulder. "You'll be fine."

Sesshoumaru waited silently by the window, his stoic expression still holding true as his mind mulled things over. Compared to the robes he had attended dinner in, his outfit was overall simple. A plain white long-sleeved shirt made of silk, and pants made of a similar black material. He stood motionless that way for nearly half an hour, no doubt pondering over ways he could make his useless new servant's life as miserable as possible. _Kouga…_He bared his fangs at the name. _I'll make sure he stays in my debt for the rest of his life._

Momentarily, his ears twitched, and he turned his head to the door. There, standing in the doorframe was his maid, looking uncomfortable and intimidated. 

"You're late."

Her shoulders instantly tightened up when she heard him speak, and even in the dark Sesshoumaru could perceive the startled expression on her face.

"Excuse me, Sesshoumaru-sama. I will make sure it never happens again."

The surprisingly confident tone in her voice was almost enough to discourage the youkai. "Do you not understand how things work around here? You are not to speak. You are never to speak to me. You're lucky I don't have you killed just for having that filthy human blood in you." For the words he was saying, his voice sounded amazingly calm. Of course, Kagome didn't doubt the threats, but the expressionless personality of this man disturbed her to no extent. Instead of responding verbally (which she had just been warned against), she simply nodded.

"Good." Sesshoumaru turned his head away from her, staring out the window. Of course, he was only doing it to make Kagome uncomfortable, and she realized this. But what could she do? She stood there, stiff as a board, just waiting for him to make his move. 

I know what you're trying to do, Sesshoumaru. But it won't work…Keep me standing here all night, if you want to. I don't care. If Kagome had known what was truly on Sesshoumaru's mind, she would never have said that, even if it were only to herself.

Ironically, she had been ordered to stay by the window for the duration of the night, to 'make sure that nothing outside would make a noise and disturb the sleeping youkai,' as Sesshoumaru had put it. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't so cold, and if she weren't only sitting in her thin dress next to the opening. In the end it ended up being a blessing in disguise, because she knew that if conditions had been any more comfortable, there was no way she'd be able to keep herself awake. "Don't test your luck." Sesshoumaru had told her in that way of his. "I'll know the minute you become unconscious."

Why me?! Why why why why?! Kagome was beyond livid. If given the opportunity, she would've pounced on Sesshoumaru right there on his bed. She knew that she didn't stand a chance…She knew that in a second she'd be dead. But her exhaustion and the cold and the scenario in general was enough to make her not care. After a few hours she gave up standing and decided to sit on the windowsill, which was long enough for her to lie down on, though of course she didn't dare.

How can he bear the cold? She thought bitterly, every once in a while glancing back at his sleeping figure. She wrapped her arms so tightly around herself that her knuckles began to turn white. It wasn't until a few hours later that Kagome truly did hear something outside. …The hell? She perked up a little, leaning her head out the window some. There, sitting on the ground a ways off from her perch was a harmless looking little squirrel. Smirking menacingly, Kagome reached her hand down onto the side of the castle, searching for any little rocks that might be clinging to the gray stone. She found a small piece of rock and yanked it off, tossing it up and down a few times in her hands. You silly little thing…What were you thinking coming around here this time of night? You might upset the almighty Sesshoumaru-sama. 

The poor furry little animal made a high squeak as the rock came soaring its way, smacking it hard down in on tail, before it scurried off in a hurry. Kagome had to resist the urge not to laugh. Normally she wasn't the type to attack anyone, especially woodland creatures. However, she was so vexed and frustrated and all-around pissed off with everything that she was ready to attack a fly if it ventured to close.

Sesshoumaru, although appearing to sleep, was just as fidgety as his servant was. Something about her presence bothered him to a point where he was ready to walk over to that window and just shove her out so he could get a little rest. Unfortunately for him, whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the girl bowing down in front of him, foiling his plot to embarrass her by asking for his grace in that feminine voice of hers. Or, even worse, he saw her staring up at him curiously after he had pulled off her heavy hood, or he saw her standing timidly in the doorway, as if she were a piece of paper that could be blown away by the slightest gust of wind. As a further inconvenience his body naturally tensed whenever she looked back at him, or whenever she attacked whatever it was outside that might cause him problems, which had been his earlier excuse. It wasn't true, of course, he had just wanted to keep her from sleeping. It wasn't the animals or the bugs that were bothering him, it was the existence of the pesky young servant who didn't have a clue to what she was doing. The rest of the night he spent making mental notes to ways he could annoy the young maid, sending her on meaningless tasks that would never end. He didn't necessarily need the sleep, but the fact that a human girl could cause such unrest in him was enough to keep him grumpy for the next few days.

For having not slept at all, Kagome was unexpectedly energetic as the sun rose up. The dawning rays of light warmed up the room considerably, and Kagome suddenly had an urge to run outside and apologize to the poor squirrel she had attacked during the night. However, the feeling when away the second she saw the look on Sesshoumaru's face. He was obviously very, very, VERY pissed off.

He swung himself out of bed gracefully, practically gliding over to the door that Kagome would soon find out to be his humongous bathroom. "What are you standing around like an idiot for? Get my clothes, human wench."

And so began the little episode of deciding on what Sesshoumaru would wear, which consisted of Kagome running back and forth aimlessly as he pointed to all the different things he'd decide on only to later throw to the floor for her to pick up. She did everything she said, and with all the energy she could muster, but it was never enough for him. He always managed to find a reason to send her a dirty look, or to say some demeaning comment about her or her race. Maybe the most frustrating aspect of it all was the way he was so sophisticated about it. The exact opposite of Inuyasha, whose eyes and voice shown with emotion, she never knew what Sesshoumaru was thinking, and every silent pause provoked indescribable fear in her. Finally, they chose a robe that was white (like the rest of his clothing, Kagome noted) and made of a beautifully rich material that, although magnificent, really isn't worth a detailed description. After that was finally finished, Kagome foolishly thought she might finally be out of the hardest part. And, predictably, she was wrong.

"Go get me my breakfast. Now." He pointed a stiff finger at the door, not even bothering the poor girl a look. Kagome's expression brightened at the idea. She'd get to be away from Sesshoumaru, AND find Sango! The first thing good to happen to her the whole day!

The youkai prince noted the change in a second. "I've changed my mind. Stay in here until I return." 

No explanation, no nothing. Kagome stared at him, stunned. _Wh-what?! _"If you step a single foot outside this room, I'll have you executed by noon. Understand?" And with that, he left.

After a moment of silence, Kagome dropped to her knees, the exhaustion taking over her senses. "Nooo…" she wasn't exactly speaking, she was moaning. "No no no…"

When the period of Sesshoumaru-loathing had finally terminated, Kagome decided to get to work. Everything the man did confused her, but at least she was finding a pattern. He was doing this to make her miserable, and, maybe even more importantly, to make her mess up. If he had even the slightest excuse to why she was incompetent (other than her being a "filthy human", of course) he could and would have her executed in a matter of minutes. She didn't yet understand where the hate of her had originated, but for some reason she got the feeling that Kouga was behind it.

So, as a form of self-defense, Kagome decided right then and there she would become the best goddamn maid that Sesshoumaru had ever had. If that didn't make him insane, then she didn't know what would. However, she was a little confused. He hadn't actually given her any work to do. He had just left her in the room, perhaps to mull her condition over in her mind until she went totally loony. For some reason, Kagome just couldn't imagine Sesshoumaru coming up with an idea like that. Maybe he had just gone down for breakfast himself and would return soon enough with a list a mile long of meaningless tasks for her to complete.

Oh well, the sooner I get to work, the more I can get done, and the more pissed off Sesshoumaru-SAMA will be! It was a good thing that Kagome was brought up thinking in silence. She had the feeling that if she voiced any of her opinions, even if they were just to amuse herself, she'd be in a lot of trouble with the higher-ups. Now, the only real thing that bothered her (as she had seemingly gotten the Sesshoumaru issue resolved) was Sango and Inuyasha. She had stayed awake with the hope of seeing the two, but that would be impossible now. Sango had asked her to come to the maids' room, but now that was impossible. She had never promised to see Inuyasha of course, but other than Sango, he was the only friend she had. And he had tried to save her last night, as he had promised…She wanted to thank him personally.

Kagome went to her work humming, as it was a habit of hers to do such. She didn't have a particularly beautiful voice, but she didn't sing any particularly beautiful songs. She just made up random strings of beats and melodies to help pass the time as she worked. The tasks she had made for herself weren't at all foreign or hard, for she had grown up in a household where everyone had to put in his or her share. With her mother busy with Souta or grandfather, Kagome had found that her share was two fold the size of everyone else's. Half an hour into her work; making Sesshoumaru's bed, dusting the cabinets and dressers that were extremely out of use, cleaning the windows, and finally folding the youkai prince's clothes, Kagome heard some voices outside.

"Oi! Ooooooooi!"

Kagome blinked, turning her head so quickly she almost fell over. That sounded like… "INUYASHA!!"

She had screamed his name without even thinking, and she immediately covered her mouth. If that wasn't Inuyasha, then what would she do? Stupid Kagome…Stupid, stupid Kagome!

"Oi, wench!! Is it you?!" Kagome breathed out a sigh of relief. Yes, it certainly was Inuyasha. She rushed to the window, nearly falling out as she leaned forward as far as possible. And there, standing on the ground below her, (Sesshoumaru's room was slightly elevated from the ground, maybe six of seven feet up) was Inuyasha, wearing identical clothes to what he was in at dinner last night. "Inuyasha!"

The raven-haired girl smiled, shoulders immediately relaxing. Inuyasha looked equally relieved, a sympathetic look flashing over his face. "Hey, you're alive."

Normally such a comment would have called for a retort, but Kagome just laughed. "I manage."

"Raven! It really is you!" Sango suddenly rushed out from behind a tree that was a few yards away from where Inuyasha was standing, a look of elation on her face. "You're all right! I was so worried when you didn't come this morning!"

Kagome was close to screaming out Sango's name when she realized that everyone in the servant's world had a nickname. If Sango had made it a point to call her Raven in public, there must be a reason. "Youkai exterminator." It sounded strange to say, but Sango just laughed. 

"It's all right, Raven-chan. They both know I'm Sango."

Blink. "They both…?"

Suddenly, from behind the same tree Sango had come from, the drunken man Kagome had seen the night before emerged. "Sango-chaaan…" He was rubbing his head and whining in one of the most obnoxious voices Kagome had ever heard. "You're so violent…"

She turned back to him, glaring dangerously. "Well if you weren't such a perverted guy it wouldn't be a problem, now would it?!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms, obviously annoyed with the pair. "Would you two shut up?! We don't have all that much time!"

Sango sighed. "Right, right…Raven-chan, I'm so sorry about Sesshoumaru."

Kagome was about to reply, but was interrupted by the strange man with Sango, who had approached the wall and was now reaching up to her. "Oh, beautiful Raven! It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Miroku, and…Would you please bea-…"

SMACK!

Kagome blinked, confused. Sango had given Miroku such a hard slap upside the head that he was immediately smashed hard against the castle wall, groaning childishly.

"Like I was saying, Raven-chan. It appears that Sesshoumaru has no plans of letting you out now, or anytime soon…But don't worry, every other day he must attend classes with his father from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Though it's possible that he could keep you in there, I doubt he'll do it every time…There must be dozens of stupid little jobs he'll send you on soon enough…I'll promise to meet you then."

Inuyasha turned to stare at Sango, eyes narrowed. "Just how the HELL do you know all of this, anyway?"

"We know everything."

"We?"

"Well, anyway." Sango smiled brightly, waving up to Kagome. "I'll talk to you later, all right, Raven-chan? No matter what happens, I'll come to visit whenever I can."

"But, Sango-chan…I don't understand." Kagome leaned over a bit farther, pressing her hands down onto the windowsill. "What about your master?"

Miroku raised his hand and waved it around frantically. "That's me!"

There was a pause. "Wait…what?"

"Miroku is very bad at being intimidating." Sango sighed, annoyed. Miroku just pouted. "My Sango-chan treats me so badly! Although, I know if I want something bad enough, I could somehow find a way to convince her…" His hand traveled downwards, and he was rewarded with Sango's fist in his jaw. "Don't even think about it." After putting her 'master' down, Sango turned back to Kagome.

"Bye bye, Raven-chan! As soon as you can, come down to the maids' room! I have a surprise to you!" Sango waved happily and scattered off, Miroku following close behind. Which, of course, left Inuyasha and Kagome alone.

They stood in silence for a few moments before Inuyasha turned, snorting under his breath. "Well then, I guess…"

"Hey, Inuyasha." He paused and glanced up at her, a curious look on his face.

"Mm?"

Kagome smiled warmly down at him, hands gripping on tightly to stone of the castle. "Thanks. For last night, I mean. You were trying to help me, weren't you?"

"Feh!" Inuyasha threw his head to the side, looking as if the idea was ludicrous. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You always know just what to say, don't you?" Kagome's voice was low and sarcastic, startling the hanyou to the point where he turned to check if she really was upset. Much to his relief, she was still smiling genuinely.

He returned the gesture, in that rough way of his. "…See ya'."

And with that, he turned and sprinted off, leaving Kagome back to her work. She was happy to see them again, but now that they were gone she was filled with this overwhelming sense of loneliness. With half the enthusiasm she had before, Kagome returned back to her work, questioning if it was truly worth it.

~

**Author's Note: **Sorry, guys. I had really wanted to write more, but I'm exhausted and I had high hopes of getting his up tonight, so…I'll just put this up for now. 8 pages. Can you believe it? I'm proud of myself, even though I know it's going to look puny on this stupid page. *sigh* What us authors do for our work. But anyway…Again, thank you for the reviews. The 7 I have, I appreciate to no extent. Kagura, 69366, sashlea, Rymsie, Mala, Moonwind, and Suki..*tear…big group hug…* 

Oh! And as another sidenote, I'm sorry that my writing style is so repetitive. Yes, I do realize it, but what can I do…? It's just how I am. I want to improve myself, but I guess that takes practice. And I reread this thing a few times, but there are still apt to be mistakes, so I want to apologize in advance. I'm tired and I'm impatient, so I tend to skip some of the longer sentences when rereading them. _ I hope none of them are TOO serious…Well, I'll try to update soon. Love you guys! Ja ne! Watashi no hanashi wo yonda tame ni arigatou!


	5. Chapter 5 Amuse You!

**Author's Note: **Wow, Inuyasha DOESN'T belong to me! *collective gasp* The anime community weeps openly, I'm sure…Y'know, Believe by Tamaki Nami should really be the next Inuyasha opening. It just screams out Inuyasha, don't you think? And, in the last chapter, for some reason half of my italics came up and half of them didn't…Hm…If that happens again in this chapter, please bear with me. I'll try to fix it, but until then, just note that it's a mistake.

~

Sesshoumaru was later than Kagome had expected. According to Sango, today wasn't one of the days he was required to go to classes, so what was he doing? She sighed heavily, rolling up her sleeves. She had done so much work in the past two hours that the room looked absolutely heavenly. The bed was arranged, the pillows were fluffed, the windows were sparkling, every single surface was dusted, the rugs were clean, the clothes put away, and the freshly changed curtains were billowing in the wind of the open windows. As Kagome went about completing her self-made tasks, she was able to see how magnificent Sesshoumaru's room was. For one thing, it was huge. The bed was large and fluffy, and Kagome wanted nothing more than to just lie down and try it out for a little while. But she knew if she were to even sit down on it for more than a second she'd be fast asleep, and she couldn't risk Sesshoumaru finding her like that. A detailed description would be pointless, but it's fair to say that everything in the room was incomprehensibly expensive. There was a large wooden desk with a similarly colored chair, which looked just as comfortable as the bed. On the desk there was an amazing mirror, with a golden dragon surrounding it, lined with extravagant patterns and Chinese characters. This was, decidedly, Kagome's favorite part of the room. While cleaning it, she often had to stop just to examine more closely the golden border. 

The room completed, the next issue was the bathroom. And, as was mentioned before, this bathroom was more than just a pretty bath and shower. The floors, walls, bath, sink, and towel racks were all made of marble. Kagome had to stand in the doorway connection the bathroom to the bedroom for a few minutes to decide which one was larger, the bathroom winning by a hair. _Wow…This man sure cares about his hygiene. _

In her own home, Kagome didn't really have a bathroom. They had an outhouse, of course, but nothing like running water. There was an old wooden bathtub in their house that worked wonders, and she couldn't help but become nostalgic when thinking about the happy times that she had shared with her family during those times. So, while standing there in the midst of this grand bathing room, she wasn't quite sure what to do first. It wasn't a mechanical process to her, so it took a lot of snooping around to see just what was an option. She finally decided on scrubbing the bathtub, since a ring was beginning to form on the near-perfect surface of the white marble.

Grabbing a few rags and some soap, Kagome rolled up her dress and kicked off her socks, climbing into the giant bath. She started by turning the water on, letting it drain away until it turned steaming hot. Of course the scalding water hurt her, but having practice with scrubbing dishes every day after dinner, she knew that hot water worked ten times better than cold water. Once the water was at an acceptable temperature she pushed the plug into the drain, letting the water rise up one or two inches before shutting the pipe off. With that and the sweet-smelling bar of soap in hand, she began scrubbing at the sides.

  
~

"Sesshoumaru-sama, please forgive this meaningless Jaken for his intrusion!" Jaken stumbled close by his lord and master's side; head low as a sign of humility. Sesshoumaru just sighed. "If you keep on talking, Jaken, I will have no hesitations about killing you here and now."

For some reason that Sesshoumaru couldn't quite understand, Jaken had an obligation to check up on his new maid. He knew that the girl had some cuts and bruises on her legs, since he had noticed them himself, but he hadn't seen any major problems with the maid. Most servants in this castle would never get a check-up for their wounds, even if they lost a limb. If injured to a point where completing their duties would become a hassle, people of the lower class were usually just killed off and replaced. However, Kagome was a special gift from the wolf-clan to Sesshoumaru, and it would be in bad faith if they killed her off so quickly just because of cuts that weren't affecting her work. 

"Just hurry up. I don't want you in my room too long." Sesshoumaru growled, throwing the door to his room open and practically tossing the toad in. He didn't particularly mind the thing's company, since it would shut up when it was told to. However, in any case, Sesshoumaru preferred to be left alone.

"Eh? What's this?" Jaken looked around to see the maid nowhere in sight. "Sesshoumaru-sama, where did the huma-…"

"Water." Sesshoumaru looked emotionlessly to the door of the bathroom. "She's in there." _What the hell is that wench thinking?_

Jaken scurried to the door, peeking his head in. "Oi! You! Get out here this instant!"

Sesshoumaru stared down at the toad-youkai, crossing his arms. "What is she doing?"

The little man blinked his big yellow eyes up at the youkai prince. "The human is cleaning Lord Sesshoumaru-sama's beautiful marble bath."

_…What? _He flinched a little. _What is she trying to accomplish?_

In a few seconds Kagome was at the doorway connecting the bathroom to the bedroom, her dress straightened out a little and her sleeves still scrunched up at her elbows. She didn't say anything, she just bowed her head low in mock humility, even though Sesshoumaru could sense the look of amusement on her face. 

"A good thing you've been attending to your duties, useless wench!" Jaken gave her another smack in the head with his staff, and in response, Kagome just nodded obediently. The toad, obviously thrilled with how quickly she had been broken in, lowered his cane. "Seems Kouga did something right for once! Only the best for Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Quiet, Jaken." Sesshoumaru looked as calm as ever, but his voice had a definite upset tone to it. Now that he thought about it, his chambers were amazingly clean. The bed was straightened out, the windows and mirror were literally sparkling, and there wasn't even the slightest hint of dust in the whole room.

Jaken immediately quieted up about it, turning back to Kagome and nudging his staff into her shoulder. "Now, human, take off that dress."

Kagome nearly choked. She had been doing her best to act the obedient servant to win Jaken's approval, but, he had to be joking. Sesshoumaru immediately noticed the change in the girl and smirked victoriously.

 "I won't ask you again." Jaken hissed at her, his cane winding up to give her another good whack. 

So, blushing the whole while, Kagome pulled off her dress, folding it and placing it to the side. As she did that, Jaken turned to his lord. "If Sesshoumaru-sama would prefer to leave, this humble servant will only take a few minutes."

"No, that's all right." Sesshoumaru stared down at the embarrassed maid, only making her more uncomfortable. "I want to see the condition of my servant for myself."

_That bastard! _Kagome new damn well that Sesshoumaru just wanted to make her fidgety, and she swore to get him back for it.

"Now, kneel down!" Unexpectedly Jaken jumped up and pushed Kagome to her knees, giving her a little shove so that her back was facing the two youkai. Immediately Kagome reached back to pull her own hair to the side. She knew there was no way to get out of this, so she figured she might as well keep up her little act.

There was a few seconds of silence that only caused more heat to rush to Kagome's face. Finally, Jaken moved forward, pressing his disgusting little hands into the skin, causing a familiar pain to shoot up to Kagome's neck. _That's right…my wounds. _Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, even though the feel of Jaken touching her made her wince and grit her teeth in horror. _He's only checking my cuts…that's all…_

Sesshoumaru just stared down at the girl, more surprised than anything else. He could see why it was necessary that Jaken checked up on her. Her back was so cut up and bruised that it was barely distinguishable as skin. He could tell that she had been treated with the same herbs and medicines that Jaken used for most of his patients, since the scarring was turning the skin hard and a recognizable bluish-gray color. 

"Hmm…Yes, much better than yesterday." Jaken pulled his hands away and began searching through his brown sleeves, looking for something. 

Kagome breathed in and out slowly, placing her hands on the ground beside her. She was curious as well about her condition, but she couldn't very well turn her head around to see her back, and even trying would be dangerous with Jaken and Sesshoumaru still in the room. 

Sesshoumaru watched silently, the stoic expression plastered to his face as always, while Jaken pulled out a little bottle of something, uncapping it and without warning pouring it down the maid's back. _I wonder what happened to her. _He couldn't stop his curiosity from growing when he noticed that the back of her arms and shoulders were equally as battered up.

Kagome gasped noticeably the second the liquid touched her skin. It felt like every cut on her back had just caught on fire, and she had to bite her lip and grip the ground in front of her to keep from crying out. The ever-alert Sesshoumaru noted this with amusement, just waiting for her to start whining, or something to that extent.

However, much to his disappointed, Kagome stomached it all with as much dignity as she could. Her knuckles were pure white from gripping the rug so tightly in her fists, but even though it burned like hell, she didn't allow herself to utter a single noise. Not in front of Sesshoumaru, at least.

All things considered, Sesshoumaru would normally have been impressed with this much resilience in a human woman. But this was his insufferable servant, and it just annoyed him to see her doing so well. Getting rid of her would be impossible if she kept this up.

"There. Now get back to work." Jaken hobbled away from Kagome, stopping at the door to give his lord a deep bow. "This humble servant appreciates Sesshoumaru-sama's valuable time!"

"Get out."

"Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!"

To Kagome's distress, she was left alone with her master once more. To make the situation even worse, she was sitting there in her underwear, back burning so violently that she wasn't sure whether she'd be able to gather the energy to stand.

"So, wench." Kagome sighed inwardly when she heard him say this. That seemed to be her nickname ever since she'd entered this castle. 'Wench' and 'oi, you.' "Just how did you get those scars of yours?"

Very slowly and very carefully she stood, grabbing her dress on the way. She slipped it over her head, biting back a cry of pain when it brushed over her tender back. 

Sesshoumaru growled, annoyed. "You heard my question."

When Kagome had finished redressing herself, she turned to Sesshoumaru, a confident sparkle in her eyes. "Is Lord Sesshoumaru-sama giving me permission to speak?"

"Don't try me, you insolent little human." The youkai-prince looked down at her, examining every inch of skin he could see, trying to count all of her cuts and bruises.

"Well, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome bowed her head low to him, using the best Jaken impression she could muster. "This humble servant fell off a cliff."

Sesshoumaru stared at her, silent, thinking that over in his mind. "What do you mean?"

"This humble servant means that this humble servant fell off a cliff." Bowing once more, Kagome took a step to the bathroom. "Now, if Lord Sesshoumaru-sama will allow this humble servant to get back to her work…"

Bearing his fangs to her, Sesshoumaru grabbed onto the girl's wrist tightly, yanking her up quickly. "I know what you're trying to do, human."

As calmly as possible, Kagome looked up to her lord, smiling politely. "I just want to make Lord Sesshoumaru-sama's life as comfortable as possible. I live to serve you. Until the death."

The youkai narrowed his eyes and dropped her, gracefully brushing his beautiful hair to the side. "I am in no mood to deal with you."

With that he walked past her, standing in the bathroom's doorframe. "Go get me some towels."

Obediently, Kagome walked towards him, preparing to enter the bathroom and grab one of the towels that she had previously hung up on the rack. Sesshoumaru didn't budge. "No. Get them from downstairs."

Kagome narrowed her eyes up at him. She was right; he was going to send her on meaningless, tiring tasks that involved her running back and forth like some sort of dog.

"Hurry up. You live to serve me, correct?" His eyes shone with amusement. "Don't keep me waiting."

~

Kagome had rushed to the maid's chamber straight away after being ordered out. Half was to see Sango, who (much to Kagome's disappointed) wasn't there, and half to get changed into the day clothes. Also, she didn't exactly know where she was supposed to get towels, and she figured the best people to ask would be fellow maids. As she entered the room, she was surprised to see how empty it was. Only a few girls were around, and they seemed to be as much in a rush as she was. Unfortunately for her, none of them were particularly friendly, either. One was a girl with pitch-black hair that was tied back in a bun, and she was busy yelling at a young girl with pure white hair about something Kagome didn't understand. "Kanna, you stupid child, you've gotten Naraku-sama angry! Not only will he punish you, but me as well! Don't just stand around looking useless, hurry up before you get us in even more trouble!"

The little girl with the palest skin and hair Kagome had seen yet was being yelled at by her older counterpart, whom Kagome would soon find out to be her older sister. "I'm sorry, neechan."

Although the child had apologized, she didn't look sorry at all. She had a voice and expression that rivaled Sesshoumaru's in its lack of emotion.

After Kagome had slipped the black maid's outfit on, including the hood, she stumbled over to the pair. "Um, excuse me, but…Do you know where I might find towels?"

Kagura, Kanna's older sister, glared at Kagome with a startling look of annoyance. "Why not try the bathroom?! Now go away!"

Kagome sighed inwardly. This was turning out to be a very, very, very bad day. "Down the stairs to your right. Take a left, and go straight until you see another staircase. Down on that floor, the towel and laundry room will be to your left." 

Both Kagura and Kagome were a bit surprised by Kanna's abruptness. Grateful, Kagome gave the child a little bow. "Thank you very much!"

"Oi, you." Kagome was stopped from leaving by the oldest of the pair, giving her a dry look. She couldn't help but curse to herself, one, for being held back even longer, and two, for being referred to as 'you' once more. "You're Sesshoumaru's new one, aren't you? You were here last night, I remember. Raven, was it? You put on quite a show at dinner."

"Well, I…" Kagome inched back to the door, a tad uncomfortable. Kagura just smirked. "Why don't we switch masters? I'm sure Naraku would love to have a bitch as faithful as this one. Don't you think, Kanna?"

Kagome could do nothing but stand there, disgusted by the little show. Kanna looked as if she didn't care either way, staring ahead with no expression whatsoever. Kagura just waved her hand to Kagome, sending her off, as if she had a position of power above her fellow servant. "Run along, then! Can't keep your lord Sesshoumaru-sama waiting."

Kagome was infinitely grateful to be out of that room. She didn't mind Kanna much…Actually, she found her adorable. But, as she would see again soon enough, Kagura was someone to watch out for.

~

With the towels close in hand, Kagome sprinted back up the stairs, careful to keep her hood from drooping down to a point where she couldn't see where she was going. On her way back up, she nearly ran over a little girl who was simply running around in little circles, much as Souta used to do whenever he wanted to bug her.

Realizing her mistake, Kagome turned and bowed to the child, extremely embarrassed. She looked no older than 8 or 9, and her black hair was all pulled to a ponytail on one side. She was wearing a simple black dress with short, puffy sleeves, and unlike Kagome, she had shiny black shoes on over her shin-high socks. The little girl smiled up at her, shaking her head. "No, no! It's all right! You're the only girl who's ever bothered to stop for Rin."

Kagome nodded, smiling warmly down at the girl. "Well, I'm sorry, Rin-chan. I should just look more closely to where I'm going next time."

The child giggled, revealing a gap between her two front teeth. "Sesshoumaru-sama told Rin that this morning, too."

_Sesshoumaru?! _Kagome paled at the name, staring down in shock at the little girl. "Sesshoumaru…? How do you know him?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama is Rin's teacher! Every morning he comes and takes care of Rin. Rin loves him very, very, very, VERY much!"

Kagome was, needless to say, shocked. _Sesshoumaru takes care of this little girl…? _"You mean…you just play around the castle all day?"

Rin shook her head frantically. "No, no! Of course not! Rin-chan is going to be Sesshoumaru-sama's maid some day! Right now, Rin just helps out in the kitchen until she's old enough to stay with Sesshoumaru-sama all the time. But, baa-chan let me come out and play for a while until Jaken comes and yells at me." She giggled again, nearly bursting with energy.

Kagome couldn't help but smile. "Well, I have to go now…But I'm sure you'll make a fine maid."

Rin nodded, waving her hand towards the raven-haired girl. "All right! Bye bye! See you later!"

Kagome's steps were much lighter as she returned to Sesshoumaru's room. _So, Sesshoumaru DOES have a soft spot…_she grinned. Rin was so much like Souta that it was painful and refreshing at the same time. It reminded her that life wasn't completely horrible; there's still good left in the world. _No need to be depressed! I always have tomorrow. That is, if Sesshoumaru doesn't kill me first…_

She swallowed hard, realizing that she had made it back to her lord's room. She entered quietly, peeking around for him. _Hm? Where'd he go? _That's when she saw the bathroom door shut tightly, and his clothes crumpled up on the floor beside the bed. Sighing, she leaned over and picked them up, folding them neatly and placing them in the corner with the rest of his cleanly ordered outfits. _He must be taking a bath…Geez, can't he do anything for himself?_

Hesitantly, she knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. When she didn't get one, she tried again. "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama…? Are you in there…?"

Again, there was no reply. Kagome was starting to get nervous, and she couldn't resist looking in to see if everything was all right.

Much to her horror, there, floating in the water, she could see the tips of Sesshoumaru's hair. He was completely submerged, and not moving a muscle. In a state of panic Kagome dropped the towels on the bathroom floor, running over to the bath and immediately grabbing onto his shoulders, yanking him out. "Sesshoumaru-sam-…"

In a matter of seconds she felt claws digging into her chest. She stumbled back, falling onto her back as Sesshoumaru sat up in the tub, glaring violently down at her. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!"

Kagome, confused, raised a hand to her chest, feeling the blood there. "I…I thought Sesshoumaru-sama had drowned…"

His eyebrows immediately shot up, realizing what he had just done. "Stupid wench…"

The poor maid's heart was beating like mad. He hadn't hurt her badly, in fact, his claws had just barely broken the skin. It had just startled her, that's all. Her reflexes were quick enough for her to pull back before she could be in any real trouble. "I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama…" She bowed her head and turned, stumbling out of the room, hand still tightly pressed on her collarbone.

The youkai prince sat in the water, staring at the doorway, where she had just exited. He sunk back down a little, staring down at his hands. His nails were only just barely stained with blood, telling him that he really hadn't hurt her very badly. But still, something about the whole situation bothered him. _"I…I thought Sesshoumaru-sama had drowned…"_

He growled to himself, cleaning his hands off in the water. _What was that all about, anyway…?_

~

Kagome was pacing back and forth nervously in front of Sesshoumaru's bed. Now he really did have a reason to kill her. She had foolishly rushed in, making stupid evaluations and nearly got herself impaled. _How could I have thought he had drowned?! He's a goddamn youkai! They don't drown! Kagome, you're such an idiot…Such a complete and total moron…_

A few minutes later Sesshoumaru emerged from the bathroom, his hair wet and stringy. He was wearing the same style of clothes as before, except these had hints of purple and yellow instead of just pure white.

Without even sparing Kagome a glance he sat down at his desk, pulling a brush from the drawer. She was surprised to see how bad he was with his hair, roughly pushing the bristles through his tangles, making Kagome wince every time. She was surprised he didn't yank all of his hair out with every stroke.

Sesshoumaru suddenly moved his eyes to her, raising an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for, human? Go get me some wine."

Startled, Kagome nodded, pulling her hood back up as she walked out of the room. Once she was well out of hearing range, she breathed out a tremendous sigh of relief. _Oh god…I really thought I might have lost it just then…_

"Raven-chan?"

Kagome blinked, turning around. There, standing in the corridor, was Sango, blinking curiously with her hood already pulled back from her face. "Sango-chan!"

In an instant Kagome was clinging on tightly to her friend, nearly cutting off the poor girl's circulation. "Sango-chan, I was so scared!!"

"Hm?" Sango got a worried look, rubbing Kagome's back comfortingly. "What's wrong? Sesshoumaru didn't do anything to you, did he?!"

Kagome shook her head. "No…well…I went down to get some towels, and…I came back, and he wasn't responding…He was in the bath, but he was submerged, and he looked dead…so I…I grabbed onto him and he…"

Sango snickered. "H-hey! I'm being seriously!" Kagome made a huffy face, but even she realized how ridiculous it really sounded. 

"Kagome-chan, you're so cute!" Sango was giggling uncontrollably now, taking Kagome's hand. "C'mon, before you have to run off again, this'll only take a few seconds. I want to show you something."

Kagome blinked and nodded, following after the youkai exterminator (even though she still didn't understand the origin of the nickname.)

Once they had reached the maids' chambers, Sango pulled Kagome over to the old cabinet, searching through one of the numerous drawers. "Hmm…Here we are!" She turned, holding her hands out to Kagome. In her palms were the coins that Kagome's mother had given her the last day of her freedom. Kagome almost couldn't control her eyes from swelling up. The coins…They were her last connection to her family.

"S-…Sango-chan…"

"Here!" Sango took Kagome's hand, placing the coins into them. "Keep these close. They must be important to you."

The raven-haired girl swallowed hard, nodding. "Yes…Yes, they are…Oh, Sango-chan!" She pulled her in for another tight hug. "What would I do without you?!"

"C'mon, Kagome-chan…" She just smiled. "Pull yourself together. You probably have a job to do…right?"

…Blink. "Oh! Damn! That's right! I'm sorry, Sango-chan!"

Sango just laughed. "See you later, Raven."

~

It only took a few minutes for Kagome to find the kitchen, get a bottle of red wine from one of the maids, and rush back up to Sesshoumaru's room. When she entered the door, Sesshoumaru was busy with some document at his desk, staring down at it in a state of intense concentration. Knowing better than to speak, Kagome stood there for a few moments in silence before he finally had the hindsight to look up. 

"What's that? Red wine?"

Kagome nodded slowly, able to guess where this was going. "I don't like red wine."

She had to resist hanging her head in defeat. White wine. Of course he liked white wine. He liked white everything. Obediently she nodded, turning and walking out of the room once more.

~

In the kitchen, the maid who had helped Kagome before was gone, and Kagome wasn't positive where the wine was. She snooped around the cabinets for a while, before she felt someone tapping her on the back.

She started with a jump, turning around quickly, relieved to see that it was only Rin. "Oh, Rin-chan! I'm so happy to see you!"

Rin tilted her head for a moment before Kagome pulled back her hood. "Oh, it's you!" Rin smiled brightly, holding her hands behind her back. "What'cha doin'?"

"I'm looking for the white wine. Would you happen to know where it is?"

Rin nodded, pointing to the cabinet above Kagome's head. "N'there."

"Thank you very much, Rin-chan." Kagome bowed her head to her before reaching up, searching for the most expensive looking bottle of wine she could fine. Needless to say, she didn't know much about it. It all looked pretty much the same to her, but she decided that one guess was just as good as any other. Sesshoumaru would probably just end up sending her back down anyway. 

"So, what's your name?" Rin was kicking her feet back and forth on the ground behind Kagome, still smiling that gap-toothed smile of hers.

Once Kagome had found what she felt was suitable, she turned back to the young girl. "My nickname is Raven."

"Raven?" Rin wrinkled her nose. "Like the bird?"

Kagome laughed a little. "Exactly! Now, I have to go, but maybe I'll see you later, okay?"

Rin nodded excitedly, stepping back a little. "All right, Raven-chan! We met twice today, so it must be an omen that we'll become real close!"

Kagome thought about this a moment before patting Rin on the head. "Y'know what? I think you're right!"

~

"Goddammit!" Kagome stomped down the halls, back to the kitchen, bottle of wine in hand. Again Sesshoumaru had sent her away, telling her that the wine was too rich for his tastes.

She burst into the kitchen, throwing the cabinet door open violently, again searching for a bottle of wine that didn't look as refined. "Stupid wining little…"

"Oi."

Kagome jumped, startled, smacking her head on the top of the shelf. She winced, rubbing her head and turning back around. "What do you…Ah! Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha stared at her, his eyebrows raised in a questioning sort of way. Kagome laughed hesitantly, pointing to the shelf. "Just getting some wine for Sesshoumaru, that's all…"

The hanyou growled a little, looking to the side. For some reason, he just didn't like the idea of someone as clever and as Kagome serving his bastard of a brother. "You know, I don't think he likes me much." She sighed a little, turning back to the cabinet, digging her arm in again.

"Sesshoumaru doesn't like anyone." Suddenly, something caught his attention, and he sniffed the air curiously. "Hey…where's the smell of blood coming from."

Kagome paused from her work once more, raising a hand to her collarbone. "Oh, right…"

Inuyasha grabbed onto her shoulder, turning her around and pulling the neck of her hood down far enough that he could see the slight wound. "What's this?!" He was nearly snarling as a sense of protectiveness washed over him.

"It was just a mix-up that's all…" Kagome sighed heavily. "Don't worry about it. I'll wash it up after I get the great Lord Sesshoumaru-sama his stupid wine."

Angrily, Inuyasha let go of her. "The 'great Lord Sesshoumaru-sama'?!"

"Oh come on, Inuyasha! I was joking!" Kagome was getting a little exasperated, once more turning to her work.

"Well…" He huffed childishly. "I still don't like the idea of you having to serve a pompous ass like him."

"Ahah! I got one!" Kagome pulled out another bottle of wine, shutting the cabinet door behind her. "I appreciate it, Inuyasha. I don't really like it either. But what am I supposed to do? It's either this or get killed…"

"Just take care of yourself, all right…?"

Kagome blinked up at him before smiling. "Of course. Don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow, all right? I don't want his almighty majesty to get angry by being late, so…You take care as well!"

She gave him a little hug before hastily walking off, leaving the hanyou alone in the kitchen with an intense blush on his face.

~

"That is IT." Kagome was more than pissed. She was livid.

"Are you insulting me? I wouldn't drink something as low-class as this. Go get me something better before I have you killed for being so foolish"  That's what he had said to her. The NERVE…

"I'll get you your goddamn wine…" she growled, forgetting about her pact to keep quiet during her stay in the castle. "I'll get you your goddamn wine laced with some arsenic, that's what I'll get you…"

Once more she had ended up in the kitchen, and once more she was digging through the racks of wine bottles, trying to find something 'not too expensive' but 'not too cheap,' either. "Ah, excuse me!"

Smack. Once more Kagome had been startled to the point of thrusting her head up, only to have it smashed painfully into the ceiling of the cabinet. "Son of a…"

"Raven, my beautiful young friend, is that you down there?"

She turned to see Miroku standing there, although she soon realized she shouldn't be surprised. First it was Sango, and then Rin, and then Inuyasha. Of course Miroku deserved his turn as well. "Oh…Hello there, Miroku. I'm just getting some wine for Sesshoumaru."

"Ah, what a good maid! If only my Sango-chan was just as kind…" Miroku sighed melodramatically, hanging his head down low.

Kagome returned back into the wine shelves, sighing. "I'm jealous of Sango. She has someone as kind and friendly as…" Suddenly, she felt a hand wandering down onto her behind.

Smack.

"I take it all back." Kagome was literally hissing down at the perverted man, who was rubbing his bruised head and laughing hesitantly.

"Ah, I was only joking! Really!"

Kagome rolled her eyes before looking back into the shelf. "I wonder what Sango-chan would say if she found you caressing other women."

Miroku was about to reply when another voice joined the pair. "What the hell are you two doing?"

Smack. Again, Kagome had whacked her already battered head against the godforsaken shelf, and she didn't even bother pulling out to see who it was this time. She was far beyond caring.

"Ah, it's the sinful priest Miroku, is it?" Kagome just barely recognized the voice. It was Kagura.

"Kagura, you shouldn't say such things to a man of higher standing. Especially to a man of higher standing who could report your misbehaving to Naraku-san."

The woman growled. "I have no quarrels with you, priest. I just need to get some wine. Unfortunately, this useless human is preventing me from getting my job done."

Kagura was one of the few non-human maids that inhabited the castle. Naraku, a man very rarely seen but often gossiped about, had such a place of power that he had numerous maids and servants, just like Inutaishou. 

For the third time in the past half an hour, Kagome pulled out another bottle of wine, backing up for Kagura. "Oh. It's Sesshoumaru's bitch." Kagura smirked as she insulted Kagome, who was far too annoyed to be hurt.

"Please, Kagura. Be my guest." She swooped her arm towards the cabinet, and then swiftly slammed the door shut, almost catching Kagura's hand with it. "Hey, Miroku, what time is it?"

Miroku paused for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Hmm…I'd guess it's nearly three."

Kagome just let out a great puff of breath. "What a waste of a day…"

"Hmm…" Kagura had her hands on her hips, grinning widely at the two of them. "I wonder what Sesshoumaru would say if he heard his maid was conversing with a lowly priest?"

"I'm not sure." Kagome shot a glance at Kagura, talking in an icy voice. "It couldn't be much worse than what would happen if Naraku heard you had attacked us, could it?"

Kagura laughed coldly. "Attack you? That's a lie! You really think Naraku would trust your word over mine?"

Kagome shrugged. "Maybe not. But I'm sure Miroku could convince him."

The truth was, Kagome didn't know a thing about Naraku. But twice Kagura had become scared stiff at the name, and she figured that he was just as cruel a master as Sesshoumaru was. If someone had threatened to reveal lies to Sesshoumaru, Kagome would be frightened as well.

Kagura turned her nose up snottily, leaning down and grabbing a bottle of red wine from the top, turning and stomping off without another word.

"A real charmer, that one." Kagome said blandly, watching her tread off in a huff.

Miroku grinned. "You're tellin' me!"

~

Sesshoumaru had finally accepted her choice of wine for him, but not happily. He had put a show up about it, but not in a way one would imagine. He just stared at Kagome blandly for a while, as if she were the lowest piece of dirt he had ever had to deal with, before violently pulling it from her hands.

"So? Aren't you going to pour some for me?"

Kagome gritted her teeth to keep from snapping and yelling something dirty at the insufferable demon. Leaning up on her tiptoes, Kagome opened the cabinet that was on the wall to the side of the desk. She had dusted it before, so she already knew its contents included some wine glasses. Pulling one out, she went about trying to cork the wine bottle, which ended up being a more difficult task than she had imagined. There had been one lying under the glasses, and she recognized it for it's purpose, but for the life of her she didn't know how to use it.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her, amused. "Well?"

It took her a few minutes, but Kagome was finally able to discover how the thing worked without making too much of a fool out of herself. She carefully poured enough so that half the glass was filled before putting it back down and pressing the cap back on.

"Good." Sesshoumaru turned back to his papers, sipping on the wine every once in a while, leaving Kagome to stand there in silence behind him, like some sort of lap dog.

Now more than ever Kagome could feel the effect of exhaustion on her body, and Sesshoumaru sensed it as well. He glanced back at her nonchalantly, seeing her paling with the effort of keeping perfectly still.

"You're of no good to me like that, wench. Sleep for an hour or two, if you must. You'll need it with the work I'll have you do tonight." 

Kagome didn't even think about how that sounded. All she heard was 'sleep,' and she accepted it happily. She didn't know exactly what Sesshoumaru expected her to do now, but she didn't particularly care either. Right where she was standing she laid down on her side, back facing her lord and master.

He stared down at her in surprise, since he had expected her to lie down on his bed or something to that extent. Before he even had time to yell at her for her stupidity she was sound asleep, and Sesshoumaru could only sigh. _Stupid girl…if that's where she wants to be, then fine._

He returned his attention back to the papers he was looking at, unconsciously swirling the wine around in his glass with his free hand. However, he was finding it hard to concentrate, because every so often he could hear the girl shift around on the uncomfortable floor, and when that happened he had a hard time keeping from looking at her. She looked so ridiculous there, curled up at his desk like some sort of pet. If someone were to walk in and see how she was treated they would think of Sesshoumaru as a crueler youkai than he already had a reputation for. By all means, maids weren't supposed to be treated well, especially by demons in a position such as Sesshoumaru's. But, at the same time, they weren't expected to be treated horribly either. More than causing sympathy for the servant, it just reflected poorly on the master. Normally the maids were just ignored, except when something was needed. Going out of one's way to make someone as insignificant as a servant miserable was frowned upon.

_I'll really have to get her a bed or something. _He sighed inwardly. Sometimes he felt that these maids were more of a pain than of a convenience. Having one was a sign of power, and it was odd in most respects if the son of a famous youkai lord didn't have one or two servants following in his heels to obey his every command. Of course he had Jaken, but…He had long since ordered that Jaken was never to be seen with him at public occasions, for obvious reasons. 

Over the next half an hour or so Sesshoumaru finished the documents he was given in silence, before deciding he needed to get out of his room and do something else before he went insane. He rested the glass onto his desk, standing and collecting the completed documents into his hands, glancing one last time at his maid's figure. With that he gracefully left the room, leaving a tired Kagome sleeping peacefully on his bed behind him.

**Author's Note: **Gyahaha! Ten pages, baby! Ten pages! In one day! …Now I just have to write my stupid essay. *hangs head* I got more reviews today, so I'm thrilled. You people inspire me! I don't know if I'll be able to post another chapter tomorrow, but I'll try my hardest. It always annoys me when I get into a story and then the author's just give up. No doubt I'll slow down, but I have enough time as that I won't go for long gaps of time without updating. As a side note, I've decided to do something a bit different with Rin. In all stories I've read, Rin has absolutely adored Kagome. I'm not going to make Rin any less Rin-ish, but I'm just going to try being a bit more original, all right? All right! Second of all, the next chapter is going to focus MAINLY on Kagome and Sesshoumaru, since I want to develop their relationship a little. And a little bit on Kagome and Inuyasha, cause I need to develop a background for Inuyasha too, and all that…Of course Sango and Miroku will come along, but I don't know if I'll be able to fit them in next time. _ Sorry! 

Oh yeah, did you notice how I got Kagura and Kanna in there? Whoo hoo! Shippou will be the next chapter. (In all reality, I forgot about him. X_x;) Kikyou and Naraku will come along with Inuyasha's past woes, don't worry. I'm trying to get as many characters into here as possible, so bear with me. All righty then! *group hug to everyone, especially the people who have stood by her in their reviewing* Kagura, Suki, lilfrozenfire, sashlea, Fallon, profiler120, riichan, Ami, Chibi Minko, Divine Discontent, and nani-chan. (Haha, Jaken getting his little ass kicked. XD I'll see where I can fit that in.) So, I'll see you all later! Baaai!


	6. Chapter 6 Accept You!

**Author's Note:** Sorry that this is so late! This has been one of the insanely rare weeks where I have been mad busy. I read all of my reviews, and thank you all. Ura, thanks so much for the typo. XD *vicious * Yes! You are a that! Now your cameo is done, so off with you! But anyways…Yes, Kagome really doesn't have a set personality does she? I didn't know what to do with her. So, I guess, if I have to make her different, I'll make her different to how I want her. Gyahaha…But, I mean, what IS IC Kagome? When she's desperately dependent on Inuyasha and doesn't really fend for herself unless it's vital to the plot? *cough* Sorry, Kagome fans…I don't have anything against her, but..You know..

Light was leaking into Kagome's vision, making it impossible for her to stay comfortably asleep. She rolled onto her other side, groaning miserably as she raised her hands to her face. She didn't want to wake up; granted, the three hours sure helped, but they weren't exactly a substitute for the eight hours she had missed the previous night. 

"Nng…" Finally she managed to pry her eyes open, flopping onto her back. "Where…?"

She sat up suddenly, looking around her. _Sesshoumaru! I'm…wait…why am I on his bed? _Blinking down at her position, she looked around. _He's not here. But…_She bounced up and down on the unbelievably comfortable mattress, smiling at the feeling. _Did he put me here?_

"Sesshoumaru, you bastard…"

Kagome snapped her head towards the door, eyes wide. _Was that Inuyasha?!_ "Inuyasha, if you have done nothing but come here to argue, I want no part of it. Go find some human to play with."

That was definitely Sesshoumaru's cool voice.

"Don't be a jackass! What do you need a maid for, anyway?! You don't do anything! You don't even go anywhere, so who would you show the power off to?!"

_What? _Kagome tossed her legs over the side of the bed. _A maid…? Is he talking about me?! _

"I may not be as unkempt as you, hanyou, but that doesn't mean I don't have tasks to get done."

Quietly Kagome stood, tiptoeing to the door that was, much to her happiness, already open.

The arguing stopped for a minute or two, but Kagome could hear Inuyasha growling low in his throat, and she could almost picture the situation in her mind. Very, very cautiously she poked her head out the door, hair just barely falling over her face. In front of her she could clearly see Inuyasha, but…where was Sesshoumaru?

"Speaking of which."

Kagome paled instantly, shoulders tensing up at the sudden voice and presence to her side. In an instant she felt a claw gripping onto her arm, yanking her violently out into the hall. "Is this the maid you're talking about, Inuyasha?"

The dog-demon's lips twitched as he growled, narrowing his eyes at Sesshoumaru. 

"Ah. So tell me, Inuyasha. What is it about this girl that intrigues you so?" The elder youkai moved his eyes down to Kagome before returning them to Inuyasha. "It certainly can't be her charming personality. Even your previous bitch was prettier than this one."

Kagome lowered her head, sighing in defeat. She could never manage to get out of situations that involved Sesshoumaru without being somehow insulted in the process. Although, something did play on her mind. _Previous 'bitch'? What does he mean by that?_

Before Inuyasha even had the chance to respond, Sesshoumaru had lowered Kagome's arm, pushing her back into the doorway. "Come on, wench." Another sigh from Kagome, which he seemed to notice this time, with the way his grip tightened suddenly. "You have work to do. I'll think of your punishment for eavesdropping on our conversation later."

"Sesshoumaru, wai--…" The sentence wasn't even finished when Sesshoumaru gracefully pulled both his servant and himself into the room, shutting the door quickly in Inuyasha's face.

"…"

Kagome stood uncomfortably stiff, her back and arms pressed hard against the door with Sesshoumaru glaring coldly down at her, his icy gaze never wavering. He seemed to be analyzing her with his eyes, intimidating her with his height and all-around regal appearance. It was a few minutes in silence before he finally let go of her, turning his head away and soundlessly making his way to his desk. He sat in the chair, back now faced to his servant, hand reaching out for his pen in one swift motion.

After watching him return to his documents, Kagome allowed herself to relax a little. _That talk about him punishing me..Did he mean it? _She let out a puff of air, confused. _He let me rest on his bed, and then he threatens me once more. I don't get this man…_

The air around her became suddenly cold, and she looked up, having a dreadful feeling approach her. As she had guessed, Sesshoumaru had once more put his attention onto the maid, golden eyes boring deeply into her. "Tell me, human."

Unconsciously Kagome's fists tightened into balls, looking to the side uncomfortably. "Yes?"

He ignored that, running a hand through his silver hair. "What is it about you that intrigues my half-witted younger brother so much?" His lips twisted into something between a snarl and a smirk; which was a lose-lose situation for Kagome no matter what its real intention was. "Is there something I haven't been informed of?"

In reality, Kagome's mind began churning like mad. _Does he know…about the promise Inuyasha made me?! _Somehow, she managed to look completely unphased by the situation, or at least he didn't seem to notice anything. "I'd imagine Lord Inuyasha is just jealous of Lord Sesshoumaru-sama."

He cocked his eyebrows curiously. "Jealous?"

"Well, isn't it normal? Younger siblings are always jealous of the things their elder parts have that they don't." She let her hands loosen out from the fists, no longer fueled with the anger she had felt before. "It's only natural for a little brother such as Inuyasha to want to be just as good as Lord Sesshoumaru-sama."

The youkai prince watched her expressionlessly for a moment before turning back to his work. "Inuyasha has always wanted things he can't have. It'll kill him someday."

_Wait..You mean that worked?! _She mentally sighed in relief. "Such as…?"

"You must know that he is only a hanyou. He has been trying desperately to find a way to become full youkai for almost his whole life now." Sesshoumaru didn't look at her any longer, he just began scratching away at his documents with the old ink pen he held as if it were no task at all.

"So…Lord Sesshoumaru-sama had a different mother than Inuyasha-sama?"

Sesshoumaru almost looked exasperated with the question, pausing from his work for a second. Kagome even doubted that he was going to answer. "Yes. My mother was a youkai. That was until my father went insane and decided to take a…"

He paused there, fist tightening around the pen, almost snapping the little device in half. Kagome realized then that she'd get no farther with him, so she'd be better off to just stop talking in general. She already knew what he was going to say; no need to drag it out of him and get herself into even more trouble.

~

The night went by in a flash. Kagome didn't do much other than loiter around the room and do more random tasks for Sesshoumaru. Whenever he seemed to get upset with whatever he was reading, he'd turn and point to the door, telling his maid to go get him something like a new ink well or, most strangely, some more glasses to put on his shelf in case he ran out of the rest of them. Kagome knew he was just using her to vent his energy, and she was being driven further and further towards insanity every time she was called 'oi, you' and 'wench,' which were, again, nearly the only things she ever heard anymore. 

When she returned from throwing one of Sesshoumaru's crumpled up papers in the garbage in the kitchen, something was different. He seemed to be concentrating less on what he was doing and more on yelling at her for something stupid she had done that she couldn't quite understand. Of course, he didn't literally yell. He actually spoke quite low and politely, no matter what he was saying. But, his words were harsh enough, and after hearing it for one or two days Kagome was slowly beginning to tell the difference between the 'cool' and 'angry' sides of him. This was definitely one of his 'angry' sides.

"Wench." Kagome, of course, sighed. _Oh well..No use fighting it, I suppose._

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"I don't want you going anywhere near Inuyasha. Ever."

Kagome's body froze immediately. _Never see Inuyasha again? Was he serious?_

Sesshoumaru gazed at her blankly. "So you do have some sort of connection with him."

She wasn't about to rat Inuyasha out, so she just shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just surprised that Lord Sesshoumaru-sama…" she put an emphasis on the formal title, stressing every syllable. "…has found it necessary to tell this humble servant just who she can and cannot approach."

The youkai lord's eyes immediately narrowed, and Kagome caught the mistake right off. "Not that I would ever question my lord's will! This humble servant will do whatever Lord Sesshoumaru-sama says."

Sesshoumaru kept his stone-cold gaze for a few moments before turning back to his work, beginning to ignore her. Kagome, more than anything else, was actually quite relieved. _It's better than being ordered around, I suppose…_

She quietly walked to the already open window, which she had previously been told to open and close and repeat a countless number of times as Sesshoumaru's mood changed with the wind (it was just busy work, she knew), and she sat down onto the ledge. _Souta…Mom…what would you do if you knew what I was doing right now? What would you say?_ She sighed to herself, extending her arm out the window, almost expecting to feel rain. The clouds were getting darker, and the air was heavy. _We'll probably have a storm later on…_

Sesshoumaru growled, annoyed with the random and unexplained actions this ridiculous girl was always taking. He had only had her around for a day and a night, but that was usually all it took for him to understand the mind-patterns of most people. However, he could never tell what this girl was going to do next, and it bothered him to no extent. "Human, what are you doing now?"

Kagome glanced back at him, then back outside. "I think it's going to rain."

The youkai gave a bored look at the window before turning back to the desk once more. "Perhaps."

Kagome took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and leaning forward a little. _I want to be running outside with Souta. I want to be helping mom cook dinner. I want to be sitting in the doorway, waiting for the rain to come down._

There was no way Sesshoumaru could concentrate anymore. Having this stupid human in his room was making it impossible for him to get anything done. "Human, you're about ten seconds from falling out that window."

Kagome grumbled quietly to herself, shooting him a look. "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama seems to have problems keeping his mind on his work. Is there anything wrong?"

"You're the one distracting me, wench." 

"Then maybe Lord Sesshoumaru-sama has more 'tasks' for me to complete?" She grinned at him, half hopeful and half sarcastic. If having her in the room was becoming a pain for him, it wouldn't be long before he kicked her out for an hour or two.

Sesshoumaru's temper immediately heightened. He was unbelievably close to just standing up and smacking the girl across the face for her horrid attitude. _The worthless maid…How dare she, or ANYONE talk to me in that way…?!_ Somehow, using all the will he could muster, he controlled the anger welling inside him. He would not let this human get the best to him; she really just didn't matter that much. Besides, if he wanted to break her down, he'd have to do it slowly. Going too quickly would kill all of it for him: the effectiveness and the fun.

Kagome crossed her arms, looking back out the window. _Damn…he's harder than I thought. _She went on pondering about her home and family, rocking back and forth in the window frame, while Sesshoumaru went back to looking over the piles of documents on his desks. 

And so, it passed like that for at least half an hour.

It was getting dark now. Kagome thought about things logically. When she had talked to Miroku, he had said it was three o'clock…_How long had I been asleep? Three hours or so? Then…that would be six. And I've been doing chores for Sesshoumaru for one or two hours, so…Yes, I suppose it'd be almost 8._

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Kagome twitched, raising her hands to her ears, as she usually did when she heard anything this loud and piercing. _What the heck was-…_

Sesshoumaru was at the window in a second, his youkai instincts working like mad. He felt something coming; not anything too big or dangerous, but it was invading his territory none-the-less. He grabbed Kagome and pulled her into the room before shoving her off to the side, seeing her only as a nuisance. 

The raven-haired girl glared up at him, quickly scattering to her feet and joining him at the window. Rolling back and forth on the ground outside the castle was a furry little fox-boy curled in a fetal position as a large snake youkai crawled up to him. The child had long since dropped his tiny bag of items, which were now scattered all around the grass. Kagome raised her hands to her mouth, horrified. _That snake thing is about to…! _She looked to Sesshoumaru, desperate. "Sesshoumaru-sama! If you don't help him then-…"

"What business of mine is it what youkai do to get their food?" He turned his head, bored with the whole act, no longer worried about the disturbance. These sorts of snake demons were around everywhere, some bigger and some smaller than the six-foot one that was looming outside. If they were fed, they were happy, and they never bothered anyone in the castle.

"But…Sesshoumaru-sama! He'll get eaten!"

The child was wailing his poor eyes out, trying his hardest to avoid the snaps from the snake that was hovering over him. Any second now, he would become the youkai's lunch. "You want to save him so badly?" Sesshoumaru eyed her, waltzing back over to his chair. "Then help him yourself."

"Wh-WHAT?!"

Sesshoumaru was ignoring her once more, back turned to her, acting as if she didn't exist. Kagome pressed her temples, half listening to her own thoughts and half listening to the wailing of the poor child outside. _I want to help him, but…what can I do?! I'll get killed! _Her situation suddenly popped into her mind. When she thought of her bleak future as it was, she decided she probably had a better chance with the snake than with Sesshoumaru.

As quickly as was possible for her, Kagome began climbing out the window. The fall wasn't massive; maybe 7-8 feet at most. She dangled against the castle wall, hands gripping the stone as she tried to lower herself down, though she just ended up slipping and landing on the ground with a thud.

The snake-youkai twitched, head shooting up as he looked around for the source of this delicious new smell. "Ssssss…"

Kagome swallowed hard, stumbling to her feet. She hadn't actually taken any time to consider just how she'd do this…In fact, she had no idea that he would notice her so quickly. _That is, if it is a he…_Immediately she kicked herself for the random thoughts. This was no time to be wondering about genders of vicious youkai.

The snake was at her in a second, giving her next to no time to respond. Out of luck more than anything else she ducked at the right instant, the snake slamming itself into the wall as it aimed it's heavy body towards this new prey. She dashed off the moment she brought her senses back together, straight towards the wailing little fox-demon that had, lucky for Kagome, somehow managed to get up onto its feet. 

"Jump to me!" She held out her arms to him, heart beating violently in her chest. "Hurry up!"

He stared up at her with wide, tear-filled eyes before nodding, immediately leaping into the girl's embrace. With the little bundle now close to her, she sprinted off again, hope building in her.

And then, the valiant rescue came to a sudden and abrupt halt. 

Everything seemed to slow down as Kagome looked at the grass, seeing a shadow growing over her. _No…it couldn't have! _With a feeling of dread building in her she looked up, seeing the body of the serpent flying overhead, which was really a ridiculous concept that she would've laughed at, had she not been in the situation herself. In a flash the snake had landed right on the ground in front of her, gracefully turning it's long tail, head swerving back and forth as its long, spear like tongue jutted in and out of it's mouth. "Ssss…"

Kagome stopped herself so suddenly that she fell backwards, clinging onto the little fox-child almost as powerfully as it had been clinging onto her. Her eyes widened as the snake's large diamond head reared back, its fangs glistening as it opened its mouth, ready to strike. 

As if to shut the demon out she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, preparing for the impact of the reptile's teeth sinking into her, killing the fox boy as well. She did feel something, but it wasn't exactly what she had expected. Something wet and warm was suddenly splashing all over her body, and she heard a loud thump in front of her. _Oh no…it couldn't be. _She opened one eye, Sesshoumaru staring down at her as if she were the lowest piece of scum on the planet, and it took her only a few seconds to realize that the ground around him was stained red. And, as she would only too soon find out, so was she. 

For a moment, time itself seemed to stop as she stared up at Sesshoumaru's form, his claws tensed and bloody from just having decapitated the snake invading his back yard. The body was lying curled up next to him, the head right in front of Kagome's feet, the yellow eyes still wide open. _…I should've stuck with the snake._

"Waaah! Wah! Wah wah wah wah! Thank you! Thank you so much! Oh thank you!" Kagome was snapped back into reality by the screaming of the child in her arms, who, while still having wide teary eyes, was completely unharmed. 

Sesshoumaru scoffed at the child, eyes narrowing. "You worthless thing."

The fox-demon's tail immediately furled up, and he clung onto Kagome once more, his tiny little body shaking. "I-…I'm not afraid of you!"

The youkai prince snarled, raising his claws menacingly. "You should be, you little-…"

Kagome interrupted the pair, patting the little fox on the head. "It's all right! You're safe now, right? You should be very grateful to Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!" She glanced hesitantly at him, hoping that the comment might have cooled his head down a little. "Now then…" She stood, placing the child on the ground. "It was nice to have met you…um…"

"Shippou!" The fox-demon smiled brightly up at Kagome, his body relatively spotless, since Kagome had been hiding him decently well with her body. 

"We-…" Sesshoumaru grabbed onto Kagome's wrist violently before she could continue on, dragging her towards the house, very nearly gagging from the disgusting scent of the blood on her. 

Shippou watched sadly as the girl left, scattering towards the pair very cautiously as they returned towards the castle. He pouted when the youkai lord turned back to give him a threatening look, but it was more than enough to stop him. _Don't worry! _He gripped his tiny little claws into fists, watching them leave. _I'll make it up to you, girl! I promise!_

And with that, he scurried back towards the field to pick up all the things he had lost in his escape.

~

Sesshoumaru stared down at his maid with disgust. He was perched up in his window, but there was absolutely no way he was going to let this ridiculous, thick-headed girl track snake blood all over his rug. She was covered from head to toe in the stuff, and needless to say, it smelled horrible. "Stupid wench. This is all your fault."

Kagome looked up at him, a little ashamed. _He's right…Kagome, now you're in debt to two people…Stupid, stupid, stupid Kagome…_

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. The sun had almost completely set, and if he let her wallow out there in filth any longer she would freeze to death. But he couldn't very well let her smear blood all over his room and the hallways, since the youkai population of the castle, (which was the majority) would be furious with the scent. _I should just kill her now and save myself the trouble…_

He disappeared from the window for a little while, leaving Kagome sitting alone out there, frightened and cold. She smelled like blood, and for all she knew, that might be an attractive offer for any hungry youkai wandering by. Trembling, she wrapped her arms closely around her own body, glancing at her surroundings. _There doesn't seem to be anything, but…_

"Human."

Kagome blinked, looking back up to the window. There, standing in the opening, was Sesshoumaru, holding a huge bucket of…_water?_

Before she could respond Sesshoumaru had poured the huge barrel of freezing cold water over her head, almost causing her to fall over with the sudden force of it. In a second her teeth began chattering like mad, slowly lowering herself to a crouching position to try and prevent even more heat from leaving her. "C-c-c-cooold!!"

"Shut up."

Sesshoumaru was gone again, leaving Kagome alone and even colder than before. She wasn't really frightened anymore…_Hell, I'd rather face off another snake-youkai than Sesshoumaru._

"GYAA!" Kagome should've been expecting it this time, but for some reason feeling the cold water rush over her body once more made her leap in surprise. Her clothes were soaked and heavy, only adding to her immense discomfort.

"S-s-s-s-sesshouma-maru…s-sama…" She looked up at him, her body shaking even more violently than before.

"Take off those clothes." He smirked at the horrified look that washed over her. "Unless you'd prefer to freeze to death, of course."

He tossed a towel and her nightclothes down at her, turning away from the window and disappearing.

Kagome undressed herself in a rush, pulling on the dry night outfit in a second, sighing at the warm feeling. Much to her dismay, Sesshoumaru hadn't actually given her any new underwear, forcing the freezing girl to just keep what she had on. It wasn't particularly wet, or bloody, but…It still had a cold feeling to it that she would rather have forgotten.

With her hair wrapped in the towel Kagome made her ascent up the castle wall, which was a much harder task than it was to originally go down. Stone by stone she shimmied her way up, until she could finally feel the ledge, her hand searching for something to climb onto. Her skin was close to painfully numb, so when something gripped onto her wrist and pulled her into the air, she was only mildly phased. That is, until she saw Sesshoumaru's stoic face square in front of her.

"Where are the other clothes?"

Kagome stared at him blankly for a minute. _Does he mean…the wet, bloody ones?_ "Go get them."

And so, he dropped her, forcing her to climb up once again, but this time with cold and heavy clothes in one arm and a horrible bruise on the other.

~

Nothing amazingly interesting happened the rest of the night, which was probably for the best. Kagome was finally allowed to eat for ten minutes or so, in a small room where all the servants ate. It was late, and most of the maids had already finished and returned to their other duties. She sat and dined in silence, on food that was surprisingly good for a class she figured to be abused by everyone. _Maybe it's just Sesshoumaru…_She sighed. _What horrid luck. I get stuck with Sesshoumaru, of all people, who's probably planning my death at this very moment. _

The emptiness of the dining hall frightened her, and her thoughts weren't helping. Normally, she liked things quiet, especially when she ate…But she felt so starved for understanding right now that she would've probably openly conversed with Kagura about her issues, even though she would undoubtedly regret it the next day. The only other people in the room were a few cooks that seemed to be busy running in and out of the area, every once in a while giving Kagome a smile, and then every once in a while giving her a frown, as if telling her she had had enough.

After she had finished and cleaned her dishes out into the small wooden sink, she went to a third dining hall, as was instructed by one of the hurried cooks. This room, while much smaller than the one she had been in just last night, was much bigger than the servant's kitchen. It was rather beautiful; oriental rugs, golden vases, and beautiful paintings of important looking youkai on the wall. 

As was expected, Kagome sat behind Sesshoumaru, forced to another evening of staring at the back of his head. Much to her relief he didn't turn or say anything to her the whole two hours they were there. In fact, he didn't really say much at all, to anyone. She had to admit, this surprised her. He seemed open enough in degrading her, or pointing out her mistakes. He was very calm and controlled, but she wouldn't exactly call him the silent type. At least, not when it came to her.

Kagome had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she had forgotten completely about Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku. She looked thoroughly, or the best she could from her kneeling position, but she couldn't find Miroku. Obviously, that meant Sango wasn't there either. She didn't really notice Inuyasha until she tried to, and much like the previous night, he was sitting across from Sesshoumaru, remaining almost as silent as his older brother. Inutaishou wasn't there; probably because he was the lord of the house, and had more important issues to be looking at, or so Kagome guessed.

Unlike before, Sesshoumaru stood to leave before anyone else. Kagome had well learned her lesson, and would, as Sesshoumaru had so roughly demanded, wait until he left before she followed. This was more of a blessing than anything else, because it meant that she would then be able to see Inuyasha. _Even though Sesshoumaru ordered me away from him…_

It wasn't until Sesshoumaru was walking away that Kagome realized how out of place she looked. She was wearing her hood, as all maids must do in public, but she was in her pure white nightdress under that. All the other maids, although it was getting closer to midnight, were still in their black day outfits. Whether anyone noticed though, she wasn't sure. If they did, she didn't get any looks or anything. Maybe it just wasn't that important.

After Sesshoumaru had left, Kagome turned her head to Inuyasha, who seemed to be distracted by something going off to the distance. She didn't know how to get his attention, so she just cleared her throat, placing one hand on her lap and holding the other over her mouth, as if she were coughing.

Inuyasha turned to her immediately, brightening up the moment he saw her. 

Kagome smiled brightly at him, pulling her hood back just barely. She wanted to call out to him, to tell him that Sesshoumaru had ordered her away from him, but it would be dangerous to speak out loud. Instead, she tried a lame game of charades and arm movements to get her point across. She pointed to the seat in front of her, mouthing the word "Sesshoumaru," which he seemed to get right off. Then, to indicate that they couldn't be around each other, she pointed to herself and then to Inuyasha, right after making a swinging motion with her hand to indicate no. Inuyasha looked utterly and completely lost with this one. _This won't work…_

She crouched forward as if she were ready to stand, leaning towards Inuyasha as far as she could in the process. He seemed to get the hint, leaning forward as well, as if reaching for something. They weren't exactly close now, by any account, but close enough for Kagome to say something quietly with only Inuyasha hearing. 

"Sesshoumaru says I can't go near you." She whispered it, but Inuyasha's sensitive dog-ears were enough to pick it up. He looked at her, a very, very, very pissed off look on his face. Kagome sighed. She knew he was trying to help her, earlier when he was trying to buy her off of Sesshoumaru, but…It would only be dangerous for him as well as her if he kept on interfering. She shrugged sadly, giving him a pleading "I'm sorry" sort of look before she stood and walked off after Sesshoumaru, who had, lucky for Kagome, been stopped in the hall by one of his teachers. This was lucky for Kagome because it kept him distracted, and he wouldn't realize the lapse of time in between him leaving and his maid following after.

  
~

Kagome returned to Sesshoumaru's room, walking right behind her master, head bowed low in depression more than anything else. Every minute her situation seemed to be getting worse for her. When she entered the door, something caught her eye right off. In the corner of the room, across from Sesshoumaru's bed, was a futon rolled out on the floor.

She stared at it blankly for a moment before sighing, half in relief and half in sadness, since it seemed to her a sign that her stay in this castle was permanent. Keep in mind, Sesshoumaru's bedroom was of a considerable size. It wasn't anything like the futon and his bed were anywhere near each other. The mat was on the opposite wall to where Sesshoumaru's bed was, and there had to be at least 20 feet in between the two of blank, unused space. Not that Kagome minded, of course.

Little to no interaction passed between the two as Sesshoumaru prepared himself for bed. Kagome realized she'd just be sleeping in what she had on, and after politely folding her hood and placing it beside her futon to put away in the morning, she sat down, not quite sure what to do. 

She was on the verge of thanking him for the mattress, though she wasn't sure whether that'd do more harm than good. In the end she decided against it, since Sesshoumaru was most obviously in a bad mood, and she wasn't even sure if he was allowing her to sleep. After changing into a robe he just slipped himself silently into his bed, pausing for a few moments before finally addressing his servant. "Put out the lights."

Quickly she stood, rushing to the two sides of his bed, blowing the candles out on either side. They had bigger, more convenient torches that provided much more comfort as far as light went, but they took up a lot of fuel and were often a pain to put on. Because of that, Sesshoumaru usually preferred to keep the numerous candles lighted instead of the torches. 

After this was done, the room was silent and dark, other than the blue light that came in due to the moon shining brightly outside. Sesshoumaru hadn't exactly said anything towards the maid as far as sleeping went, and Kagome wasn't going to ask. She silently moved back to her futon, not even bothering to slip under the thin blanket that had been put down on it. The window had been closed after she had crawled in earlier from the snake incident, so it wasn't cold, in any respects. 

Her mind turned over her situation before falling back onto her family, whom she missed more than anything else. _Souta…Mom…Goodnight…_She closed her eyes, picturing her little brother's sleeping face in her mind, and immediately dozed off.

~

It's possible to go into great detail about the next few days, but it would be a little less than entertaining. Things went as usual; Sesshoumaru ordered Kagome around from morning to night, occasionally letting her out for meals and only giving her moments to relax when she looked like she was about to collapse. On the bright side, Kagome was learning a lot about Sesshoumaru's various moods. As Sango had told her, every other day Sesshoumaru went to his classes for the majority of the morning, leaving Kagome alone in the room. Unfortunately he always gave her a list of things to do, which would normally take hours on end, if Kagome didn't some way find shortcuts to get around it all. On the fourth day Sango had a little time on her hands, so she somehow managed to get Miroku to help along with Kagome's chores. Of course she aided as well, though in the end it usually just ended up with Miroku groping Sango and Sango chasing him around with whatever she could get her hands on. It made Kagome's work even harder, but she loved every minute of it.

"YOU PERVERT!" Sango was chasing Miroku around outside, while Kagome scrubbed at the stone wall outside of Sesshoumaru's bedroom. 

Kagome sighed inwardly. She was enjoying the show, but if she didn't get this done then Sesshoumaru would just pile even more things down onto her back, as had happened the other day when he was out to his classes. "Guys, I don't mean to intrude, but I could REALLY use some help…"

Sango stopped, shooting Miroku a death glare before walking back over to Kagome. "Of course…I'm sorry, Raven-chan."

"Oh, Raven-sama! You have saved me from my Sango's wrath! How can I ever repay you?!" Kagome rolled her eyes and Sango gave him another look, causing him to raise his hands in surrender. "Uncle!"

They went on like that, chatting casually while they scrubbed the blood from the snake off the wall, which Kagome had already explained to the pair. Sesshoumaru ran out of things to tell her to do (at least with an excuse behind them), so he had her clean off the dried blood from the stone that had been scattered there when the snake was decapitated.

"So, tell me, why were you two so lucky as to be paired together?" Kagome asked, leaning over and getting her rag wet again in the bucket of water.

There was a moment of silence before Miroku cleared his voice, seeming to concentrate more thoroughly on his work all of a sudden. "Well…"

"Oh, let me." Sango sighed, pulling the bucket over to her. "I am…or, I was a youkai exterminator. Youkai used to invade the village I lived in, and it was my job to…well…exterminate them. One day, when I was out on the job…" She hesitated, looking at the ground sadly. "My younger brother was very nearly killed…The only person who could help him was a horrid excuse for a thing, Naraku…Also, the same man who almost killed him in the first place."

"I pleaded with him for my brother's life, which he finally granted me…as long as I would work here, as a maid." She scoffed, fists tightening around the rag she was holding. "He saved him…but he refused to let him go. He's still here…working as Naraku's paperboy…Remember that boy? The first night you came here, the one who announced Inutaishou's arrival?"

An image of a young boy with cute little freckles and a ponytail flashed into Kagome's mind, and she nodded. "Yes…That's my brother, Kohaku."

"I went to work for a man named Onigumo, an underling of Naraku, and probably just as disgusting. He…wasn't very nice to me." Kagome got the idea from this…Sango was probably too strong to admit just what had happened to her, but she could sense the pain in her voice. Sango most likely just didn't want to relive it, and Kagome didn't really want to know. 

Miroku stepped in, never stopping his work. "I saw him beating my poor Sango one day, and I knew there was no way I could allow it to continue…! So, I bought her off."

The youkai exterminator glared at him for the way he put it, and he laughed hesitantly. "Well…I didn't really BUY her. I just threatened Onigumo to a point where he would've been a fool not to comply."

Kagome and Sango stared at him with a blank look on their faces before turning to one another. "He blackmailed him, didn't he." Kagome said rather blandly. 

Sango just nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

"Heeeey!" Miroku put his hands up in defense. "I just HAPPENED to know about a certain maid that Onigumo had his eye on, that belonged to Naraku…If Naraku knew that Onigumo had come on to this specific maid more than once, he would probably have been beheaded. Onigumo was scared out of his mind, so he just handed her over…" Miroku grinned, putting an arm around Sango's shoulder.

Sango just flinched, but she didn't pull away, a blush growing on her face. "See?" Miroku grinned widely. "Now, aren't you glad that I saved you from the evil dragon?" His hand began to trail down, and he was rewarded with a hard smack in the face.

"Don't push your luck."

They went back to bickering some, and Kagome couldn't help but smile. Even though they were always teasing each other, she could see they cared about each other a lot. She didn't doubt for a second that, if she had the option, Sango would stay with Miroku rather than leave. 

Suddenly, something came flying out of the tree above the trio, smacking Kagome right in the back of the head and causing her forehead to ram forward into the castle wall. "Gyaaah!"

Miroku and Sango blinked up at the thing clinging to Kagome's head, before looking at each other quizzically. "Gyaah! Gyaaah! Gyaah! Gyaah!"

Kagome reached up, prying off whatever it was on her head and holding it out. It was the little fox boy she had helped a few days ago. "Oh! Shippou!"

The fox boy squealed in delight when he heard her say his name, leaping out of her hands and nuzzling himself into her neck. "Raven-chaaaaaan!"

Kagome blinked. "Raven? How did you know I was called that?"

Shippou, the twitchy little thing he was, hopped down to the ground, putting his hands on his little hips. "I've been watching you for a little while now, to make sure that the scary demon man wasn't going to come out!"

_The scary demon man? _Miroku raised a finger. "Sesshoumaru."

"Aa." Kagome nodded, looking down at the fox demon. "So, what are you doing around here anyway?"

"What do you mean?" He huffed, sticking his little nose up. "I'm protecting you! You saved me, so now I have to make sure nothing happens to you!"

Kagome just laughed. "No, I mean, in general. Do you live around here?"

He nodded, pointing back to the forest. "Me and papa live back out there."

"Ooooh…Then what were you doing getting chased around by that snake youkai?! You could've gotten seriously hurt!"

Shippou winced, scratching the back of his head and smiling cutely. "It was an accident!"

Kagome glanced at the sun before patting him on the head. "I have to get this done before Sesshoumaru-sama comes back, so…"

"Let me help!" Shippou bounced over to the bucket of water, grabbing one of the rags in it and beginning to jump up and down against the wall, pressing the wet piece of cloth against it, doing a surprisingly good job. Kagome just laughed, nodding. "All right! The more help I can get the better, before that no-good-son-of-a-gun Sesshoumaru comes flouncing out here all graceful-like and pointing to some stupid spot on the wall saying 'Oh, you missed one, do it all again.'"

Kagome was gripping the rag so tightly in her hands it was nearly ripping, and everyone else just stared at her, decently frightened. "I swear, if I could I would take that man's neck and just smash it against every single stone of this castle, watching him wince in agony every single time…"

Shippou blinked at Kagome, before turning to Sango and Miroku. "Does she get like this often?"

Sango giggled, and Miroku shrugged. "I think she's just easily excitable."

~

The next day, Sesshoumaru didn't have any plans on going anywhere, and he didn't have any plans on doing anything. Normally, he hated these days. They bored him and made him feel useless, which he hated with a distinct passion. However, now, he had something to entertain himself with. He had his useless maid to order around, and in all honesty she amused him more than anything else he could think of. 

"Human, what in the world do you think you're doing? That's no way to roll up a futon." 

Kagome glared at him coldly, struggling with the heavy mattress in her arms. It would be a lie to call it a real, traditional futon. It was much, much thicker and, consequently, much heavier. "Then, would Lord Sesshoumaru-sama like to teach this humble servant the correct way to fold a 'futon'?"

Sesshoumaru was reclining in the chair at his desk, staring at his frustrated servant. "It's your job, so learn yourself."

"SESSHOUMARU-SAMAAAAAA!"

The door suddenly burst open, a little girl running in with Jaken following close behind. "Rin, what do you think you're doing?!" The toad squawked as he rushed after her.

Kagome watched them, surprised, before recognition dawned over her. "Oh! Rin!"

Rin paused at the voice, turning from Sesshoumaru to Kagome. "Raven…?" She waved her small little hand, smiling brightly. "What is Raven doing in Sesshoumaru-sama's room?"

Sesshoumaru sighed, raising a hand to his forehead. "Rin, speak more quietly."

The child giggled happily, nodding. "Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"I'm Sesshoumaru's maid, Rin." Kagome was talking to her while still attempting to fold the mattress, which caused for a pitiful sight indeed. 

"What?" A hurt look washed over the child's face as she turned to look at Sesshoumaru. "That's not true!! I'm going to be Sesshoumaru-sama's maid! You told me!"

Sesshoumaru looked at her expressionlessly. "You're not old enough now, Rin."

"But…but…Sesshoumaru-sama!" She suddenly seemed on the verge of tears, pointing at Kagome.

"Rin, speak more quietly." He repeated, an almost upset look coming over his face. "You're interrupting me."

"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama…" She hung her head, going over to his bed and sitting on it, swinging her legs back and forth. Jaken bowed to Sesshoumaru, scooting over to the child. "I'm sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, this humble servant will get Rin out of here this very instant!"

Rin frowned at the toad-youkai, shaking her head. "I'm going to stay with Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru looked as if he didn't care either way, turning to his desk.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly got heavy, as Sesshoumaru immediately shut up in the presence of the other two. Whenever Kagome did something clumsy, which he normally would've insulted, he just remained silent. Rin seemed a bit colder to her as well, always pushing her aside and doing things herself, reminding Kagome constantly that she was really the one meant to be Sesshoumaru's maid.

"No! I'm going to fold Sesshoumaru-sama's clothes!" Rin ran over to Kagome, who had just returned from bringing the newly cleaned garments from the washroom.

"But Rin…" Kagome looked back at her, holding the damp clothes in her lap. "They're still wet. I have to hang them up to dry before we can fold them."

Rin blinked at her before nodding. "Fine then! I'm going to hang them up!"

Kagome smiled at the girl as she handed the clothes over, watching Rin rush out of the room to go hang them up outside. Jaken followed closely after, yelling towards the child to slow down before she ran into someone. 

Now out of a job, Kagome went to Sesshoumaru's bed, straightening it out from when Rin had crawled in and around it. "Rin sure does love Lord Sesshoumaru-sama a lot. She'll make a good maid."

Sesshoumaru looked back at Kagome, eyes cold. "You seem excited about the prospect of getting out of your job. Though, you should realize, your fate after this will probably be death."

Kagome shot him a look as she pressed out the sheets, trying to flatten out any of the wrinkles. "If it makes Lord Sesshoumaru-sama and Rin-chan happy."

"Look, wench." Sesshoumaru sighed in exasperation, as if Kagome was the stupidest thing he had ever had to deal with. "You can't even straighten out a bed correctly." He pointed to a single wrinkle on the corner opposite of Kagome, glaring at her. "Can you do anything right?"

Kagome gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama." She stomped over to the wrinkle, flattening it out. "I guess this humble servant should just throw herself out of the highest tower this instant to repent for her horrible lack of skill."  
Sesshoumaru kept his gaze steady on her before looking out the window, a strange, uncommon grin showing on his lips. "From the highest tower? No. Tossing yourself out from here would suffice."

Kagome blinked, noticing the look on his face. _Is he actually…Joking with me?_

Before she could think more on it, Rin rushed back in the room, smiling brightly. "I hung up Sesshoumaru-sama's clothes!"

Kagome laughed. "Good job, Rin-chan! You're going to be the best maid Sesshoumaru-sama could have!"

Rin forgot her anger at Kagome momentarily and she returned the gesture, nodding energetically. "Yep! I'm going to be Sesshoumaru-sama's maid in no time!"

~

Things actually seemed to get better from then on. Rin would visit often, though she always seemed to be a little mad at Kagome. She was by no means bitter or angry with her, but she would always get this pouty look and refuse to talk to her whenever Sesshoumaru gave Kagome attention that she wanted. 

As another thing, Kagome was almost starting to not mind Sesshoumaru's company. He didn't insult her any less, of course, but she felt a bit more open with how she could reply to him. She was beginning to learn how to push his buttons; what to say when she wanted his favor, and what to say when she wanted to annoy him a little. She also began to realize that he acted a lot different around her than with other people. Never had he hesitated to say something demeaning to her, or to just complain about his father or his brother for a few minutes as if it were her fault. However, when he was around others, even if it was just Jaken or Rin, he said as little as virtually possible. Kagome realized, then, that these were the only opportunities she had to get away with things she would normally be 'grounded' for.

Sango, Shippou and Miroku also seemed to become a bigger part of Kagome's life. Almost every other day they spent an hour together, sometime just hanging around and sometime doing work. Well, it was usually just Kagome and Shippou doing work, with Sango and Miroku running around arguing. It had only been a week, so they had only had four get-togethers, but Kagome still treasured the time like nothing else.

~

On the eighth night Sesshoumaru was in a worse mood than usual, and Kagome could sense it. He had just come out of the bath and he was sitting at his desk, eyes narrowed and pointed towards some pieces of paper. The mood in the room was so melancholy that Kagome was afraid to speak; something she wasn't often used to, even around Sesshoumaru.

Frustrated, Sesshoumaru ran a hand through his still-wet hair, placing his elbows down on the desk. "…One of the lords to the East wants to take some of this land, but due to someone leaking false information, we can't seem to make any negotiations…" He sighed heavily, pushing the papers to the side.

Kagome frowned a little, staring at the back of his head. "I know a human like you wouldn't understand such things, but Naraku is causing us problems. If we can't settle things soon, it's most likely going to end up with fighting…and we can't afford that."

Once more he tried to run his hand through his hair, but it just seemed to get caught up in the wet tangles, bothering him even more.

Kagome let out a big puff of breath, walking over to the desk beside Sesshoumaru. He glanced at her, ready to strike if she did anything stupid, but for now holding his tongue. She reached into the desk drawer, pulling out the wooden brush and stepping back behind the youkai prince. Sesshoumaru just growled at her, turning his head. "Human, I can brush my own hair."

She acted as if she didn't even hear him, gently stroking the brush through his hair, but quickly enough so that it would slowly undo the tangles. "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama should try his best not to worry about these things. If he worries, he won't be able to concentrate, and that won't get anyone anywhere."

Using the mirror as a medium for glaring coldly at his maid, Sesshoumaru remained silent. He was in no mood to argue with anyone. Besides, the brush going through his hair in such a fashion actually felt…good.

Kagome smiled a little when she saw his shoulders relax a little. He really did have the most beautiful hair; she just wished he took better care of it.

"What are you grinning at now, human?"

The raven-haired girl shook her head, nearly bursting out with pride. "Nothing, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama."

~

**Author's Note: **I wanted to continue this a little farther, but, I knew that may take another day tops and I figured I was better off just getting out as much as I could (for now.) Whoo…It took me a while, but it's the longest one yet, I think. 12 pages. Whoo. Was it worth it? Sorry if I kept anyone waiting, and now they're like 'Wow…that was a waste.' I'm doing my best.

Next off the list, a lot of people were confused by whether Sesshoumaru had put Kagome on the bed or not. Well, yes, he did. I'm sorry if I worded it strangely. Some people got it, and some people didn't..So I'm just going to have to change that some day. And look! *points* Shippou! The next chapter is going to have a lot more Inuyasha and Naraku. I want to get Naraku going. You know. 'Cause otherwise it will be a really empty plot and that's no fun, now is it…? Well, ja ne! I'll try to update a lot lot quicker this time. Everyone who reviewed, thank you SO much. You have no idea how much it means to me. *hugs to EVERYONE* And, Kagura, I can't believe you actually printed this out. *teary eyes* That is..the nicest thing..*big big big BIG hugs of appreciation* By~e!


	7. Chapter 7 Lose You!

**Author's Note:** Hey again, everyone. This isn't too late, is it? I'll try my best. Mind you, I'm writing this before the chapter, so I have no long how it's going to take. ^_^; Everyone, I just broke 50 reviews. *bursts with pride* You have no idea how good that makes me feel! Thank you everyone, so so much…

~

Sesshoumaru was sitting at his desk, as always, as Kagome rushed back and forth from his large bag to his bureau. Negotiations called for Sesshoumaru to travel with his father to a castle to the east, and he'd be staying for nearly a week to try to work some of the land issues out with the neighboring lord.

"Human, did you remember to pack my pens?"

Kagome sighed heavily, nodding. "Yes, they're all in their cases…" She kneeled down in front of the bag, searching through it cautiously. "Good, I think I've got anything. Is there anything else Sesshoumaru-sama might need?"

The youkai prince stared at her bored before pushing the chair back from the desk. "No. You won't need anything either. You'll be provided with the appropriate clothing."

He leaned his elbow gracefully upon the desktop, placing his chin in it and looking thoughtful. "If not, I suppose you're on your own."

Kagome nodded once more, tightening the string around the hem of the bag. "Well then, I guess Sesshoumaru-sama is all set!"

There was a knock on the door, and Kagome was on her feet in an instant, rushing to it. Sesshoumaru, as always, didn't move a muscle. "Who is it?"

The maid pulled open the door, hiding herself behind it as was polite for the servants. "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama…"

Inwardly, Kagome gagged at the sound of Jaken's voice. _Obnoxious little toad…_ "What is it, Jaken?"

"Please forgive this humble servant for his interruption, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama! But, his Lord Inutaisho would like to see Sesshoumaru-sama right away…"

Sesshoumaru flitted his eyes to his maid for a moment before nodding, moving to his feet and following Jaken out the door. He made it a point to close it behind him, locking the poor girl in. Kagome glared at the doorway from where she stood, huffing. The man still did things to annoy her, even after all this time. She didn't know whether she was looking forward to traveling away from the castle or not, since it was her only home now. In reality, she was scared; she had forgotten a lot about what happens in the world outside her. _Would I know how to act…? _Unconsciously she gripped for the coins hidden in her collar, praying for luck.

~

"Sesshoumaru, my boy!"

Sesshoumaru, stoic as always, gave his father a slight bow. "Father."

The large, smiling man sat up from his velvet-lined chair, grinning widely. "I suppose you want to know why I've called you here?"

The youkai prince didn't respond.

"Well, first of all, I trust you're ready for our trip today?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Good. I wanted to tell you that you're going to need to pack light. Extremely light." Inutaisho looked down at his large desk, beginning to collect up the letters that he had just been analyzing. "Our hosts contacted us, saying everything would be provided. You can bring a few of your best robes, of course, but…Maids, casual garments, business items, they'll all be unnecessary." 

"Maids?"

Inutaisho acknowledged the question with a wave of his hand, beginning to search through his drawers. "Yes, yes. Actually, I was thinking of letting Inuyasha 'borrow' yours until we get back. He's been lonely lately, and I won't be around, so…Ah hah!" He pulled out a piece of paper, placing it on the desktop and sliding it towards his son. "This is a copy of the negotiations that were previously written. I want you to look over them, so when the actual discussions begin you won't be in the dark."

Sesshoumaru stood in silence for a while before moving his eyes down to the document. "As you wish, father." He reached out and grabbed it in one swift movement, turning and waltzing from the room.

~

When Sesshoumaru returned, Kagome was busy pacing the floors. With every passing moment, she was becoming more and more nervous about the trip. She had no idea what would be expected her; especially if Sesshoumaru would be gone most of the day for his meetings. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

He analyzed her for a moment before walking past, over to his desk, placing his hands on the chair but not sitting down. Kagome watched him curiously. "Sesshoumaru-sama…?"

"You won't be going."

She stopped where she stood, confused. "I…won't be going?"

"I won't be needing you for the trip." He nearly hissed this out, turning to glare coldly at the girl. "You'll be staying with…Inuyasha until I return."

_What…? Is he being serious?! _Something inside Kagome swelled, while another part of her deflated. She had been dreading and anticipating the trip…she wanted to get out more. She wanted to leave the castle and see the scenery and nature again. She wanted to know more about what was going on with the country, with the war, with Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru examined her reaction to what he said, but he couldn't read it. At first she had looked shocked, understandably, and then happy, and then sad. _This human dramatizes her expressions far too much. _He sighed, raising a hand to his forehead. _I won't let this get to me. Even if it IS Inuyasha…I don't care that much about a worthless slave._

~

Kagome watched the carriage carrying Sesshoumaru and his father fade away in the distance, resisting the urge to wave. Today was the start of her second week; her second week without Sesshoumaru.

"Come on, human!" Kagome looked down at Jaken, the mood immediately dropping a few notches. _Why didn't Sesshoumaru just take stupid Mr. Toad along with him?_ "You'll be serving Inuyasha while Lord Sesshoumaru-sama is gone! But don't slack off, Sesshoumaru-sama told me to watch you especially closely this week!"

Kagome raised her eyebrows down at him, surprised. _Sesshoumaru is using Jaken as…my babysitter?!_

With a few bashes on the back of her head Kagome was once again following Jaken down the halls and up the stairs, her hood strategically pulled over her eyes so that the toad-youkai would be unable to read her expression. _Inuyasha…_It seemed to be getting better, suddenly. She'd be spending a week with Inuyasha, and just Inuyasha. 

"Here we are, human! Remember this location well, because I'm not always going to be around to lead filth like you back and forth!" Jaken smacked the door with his stick energetically, causing Kagome to wince at the slapping noise. If she had had a dagger, she would've stabbed Jaken through his tiny little skull right there and then, and she would've enjoyed it immensely.  

"What do you want?!" A very pissed off sounding Inuyasha opened the door just slightly, giving Jaken the same look Kagome had been tossing at the toad all week. 

"A present from your father, hanyou!" Jaken shoved the door open with surprising strength, nearly smacking Inuyasha in the face. "But it's only temporary, so don't get comfy! You don't deserve even this…"

"What the hell are you talking about, toad?" Inuyasha put on a show of being bored, yawning and glancing down at the youkai as if it didn't mean a thing in the world to him.

Jaken obviously didn't show the same humble attitude towards Inuyasha as he did with Sesshoumaru, Kagome noted. He grabbed Kagome's wrist in his clammy little claws and very nearly chucked her into the room, causing her to bump forward into Inuyasha, who looked less than happy about it. "Keep her in line, hanyou." Jaken straightened his wrinkly body out, obviously trying to look respectable. "If she does anything stupid, make sure to tell me." And with that he scuttled out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

There was an awkward silence in the room before Kagome came to terms with her position, seemingly at the same moment as Inuyasha. Simultaneously they blushed, pushing away from each other and taking a step back. Kagome, out of habit, bowed immediately, her hood purposefully dropping forward once more. _Wait…_She caught herself before mumbling her apologies, glancing back up at the hanyou. _What am I doing?_

"Inuyasha!" Inuyasha twitched at the sound of his name, taking another uncomfortable step back. 

Kagome sighed at his ignorance. "Inuyasha, it's me!" She pulled back her hood, staring up at him expectantly. Inuyasha still looked as stupefied as ever. 

"Inuyasha…" She nearly growled his name, in no mood. _Is he even trying to be so obnoxious…?!_

"Y-you're my new maid?!" Inuyasha pointed at her, a look washing over his face that Kagome prayed to be relief, although it was ultimately unreadable. She nodded, a tad insulted at his lack of welcome.

Unexpectedly he grinned, happiness beginning to show through his surprise. Relieved, Kagome smiled back. This definitely wouldn't be as bad as she had first feared.

  
~

"Oi, what are you doing?" Inuyasha was standing against the wall, glaring at Kagome. His room wasn't much different from Sesshoumaru's; a massive bed was the centerpiece of the chambers, and to its side there was a large wooden desk, although somewhat smaller than his brother's. The main distinction between the two was that Inuyasha's was trashed, while Sesshoumaru seemed to be the type to keep things as tidy as possible. 

"I'm making your bed! It's a total mess!" Kagome was going at her work energetically, having learned some of the tricks and hints to flattening out the huge comforters just right.

"Feh." Inuyasha snorted, plopping himself in a plush chair that was in the corner opposite his desk, another thing that Sesshoumaru didn't have. "My bastard of a brother sure has you trained."

Kagome twitched, whirling to face the hanyou. "Trained?! I'm just doing my job! You could use the help, too!"

Inuyasha straightened out a little, narrowing his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means your room is a mess!" Kagome pointed to the clothes lying on the floor. "Just look at all of this!"

Inuyasha turned his head away snottily, putting his nose into the air. "What I do with my things is my own business, wench!"

"Wench?!" Kagome pulled the pillow from the bed, fuming. "You're IMPOSSIBLE!" She chucked it at him, surprising him with the suddenness and strength behind the blow.

"OW!" The hanyou pulled the pillow from his face, nearly piercing it with his claws with how tightly he was gripping it. "What was that for?!"

"You called me wench!"

"You ARE a wench!"

He was rewarded for that one with another hard smack in the face, but this time with something a little more solid; his shoe that he had lying next to his mattress. 

"OW!! You BITCH!" The pissed dog-demon immediately rose to his feet, stomping over to Kagome. "Why the hell did you throw something so hard?!"

"Stop being a baby, I didn't throw it that strongly!" Kagome glared back, just as angry, reaching down for his other shoe. "Let me have another go at it!"

Inuyasha twitched, taking a step back. "What are you thinking, wench?!"

Kagome raised the shoe, grinning as she gripped it in her small hands. "Call me wench one more time, and god help me I'll…"

"Inuyasha---!" A cheery Miroku burst in on the two, opening the door in one swift movement, causing both of the two pissed off individuals to glare at him simultaneously. 

"Oh?" Miroku looked surprised. "What's going-…"

Past breaking point, Kagome winded up and chucked the shoe as hard as she could at Miroku's head, easily hitting her target due to their close proximity. Miroku fell back almost comically, his eyes wide and his mouth still open as he hit the ground. Behind him stood Sango, holding a hand to her forehead due to the man's stupidity.

Inuyasha stared a moment before crossing his arms and turning away. "Keh. Better him than me."

Kagome fumed up once again, turning to shout something foul at him before she felt two arms wrapping tightly around her. "Raven-chan! What are you doing here?!"

The mood immediately softened as Kagome noticed Sango, returning the hug happily. "Sango-chan! Sesshoumaru is away, so I guess I'm staying with Inuyasha until he comes back…"

"Really?!" Sango grabbed Kagome's hands, squeezing them tightly. "That's great! We'll get to spend the whole week together!"

"Eh?!" Inuyasha turned swiftly, eyes narrowing. "Who invited you?!"

Miroku, without the others knowing, had somehow made it back to his feet. "Ooooh…It seems Inuyasha would like some 'private' time with our adorable little Raven…"

Inuyasha bared his fangs at the man, immediately tensing. "Wh-what are you thinking you pervert?!"

"Well, I can understand…Let us follow their example and leave to go enjoy ourselves, Sango-chan!" He grasped her wrist, and was rewarded by a slap in the face.

Kagome giggled, watching the two. _They're adorable…!_

"Ah, I have a wonderful idea!" Miroku clapped his hands together, his face marked red due to Sango's slap. "Let's all go down to the beach for the afternoon!"

Kagome tensed up. "Th-the beach?"

Inuyasha glanced over at his new maid, thoughtful. _That's right…She can't stand the ocean._ "Come on, Raven-chan! It'll be fun! I'll go down and talk to some of the maids and get some food!"

Kagome hesitated, looking at her friend. She was scared stiff of the water, but…She didn't want to let them done. "A-…all right…"

"Great!" Sango grinned brightly, immediately turning and rushing from the room, dragging Miroku along with her. He just waved blankly, obviously used to being pushed around in such a manner.

Once they had disappeared from view, Inuyasha turned to Kagome, concerned with what this would mean for her. "Are you…"

Kagome just waved her hand at him, laughing hesitantly. "Oh, don't worry! It's just the beach. I'm not THAT scared…"

~

"Oi, wench! Hurry up! I thought you said you weren't scared!"

Kagome was treading through the woody path a decent distance away from her friends, being very cautious. "I'm not scared!" She hissed to him, glancing around. "I'm just not in any mood to rush!"

Sango sighed and slowed down, waiting for her. "I'll walk with you, Ka-…" She stopped, realizing her mistake, and immediately tried to fix it up. "I'll walk with you, Raven."

Inuyasha glanced curiously back at them, as if expecting something. "What'd you say?"

"Ra—ve—n!!" Suddenly, although not completely unexpected, Shippou came bounding out of the trees towards Kagome, jumping up and nuzzling into her arms. 

"Shippou-chan!" She smiled brightly. "There you are! I was wondering when you'd come!"

The little fox-demon nodded energetically. "I smelled dog-boy over there and so I knew that either you or Sango and Miroku would be around!"

"Dog boy?!" Inuyasha reached out, snatching Shippou away and glaring down at him. "Where do you get off saying that?!"

"Inuyasha, be nice to Shippou!" Kagome chided the hanyou, pulling Shippou back to her and holding him protectively.

Inuyasha glanced at her, then to Shippou, nearly growling with the close bonds the little thing shared with his new servant. "Feh!"

They continued walking for nearly half an hour, chatting and arguing on, Kagome temporarily forget her fear of the ocean. That is, until she began smelling the familiar salty aroma that had haunted her many times before.

Sango had to keep on nudging her along, gripping on tightly to her arm in both encouragement and support. "C'mon, Raven-chan."

"Speaking of which, Raven, why is it you're so scared of the ocean?" 

Kagome was analyzing her surroundings, crushing Shippou to her body while simultaneously clinging onto Sango's arm. "Well…when I was really young…Me and my younger brother were down at the beach, and…it got really stormy…and there was this huge wave!" She spread out her arms to emphasize this, earning herself an eye-roll from Inuyasha. "It hit me, and when I managed to swim back to shore…" She shuddered, closing her eyes. "My body was covered in these little…black worm caterpillar things…They had these tiny little teeth, and I couldn't pull them off, and they were EVERYWHERE…"

Inuyasha paused, turning to look back at Kagome. "Are you telling us that you were attacked by leeches?"

Kagome nodded, and Miroku chuckled low before hiding his amusement with a cough. "Lady Raven…That's impossible. Leeches don't live in the ocean."

Kagome glared at him violently, making him stumble back in surprise. "Whether they live in the ocean or not, that's what was clinging to my body, and don't you dare tell me otherwise."

"Haha…" Miroku looked hesitant, raising his hands. "O-of course…"

Inuyasha looked wryly at the girl, but restrained from saying anything, due to the fire in her eyes. This was an individual you definitely didn't want to push too far, as he had previous found out. 

"Uwaaa! Look! I can see it!" There was a break in the dense trees, and Shippou hopped away from Kagome, rushing ahead. "See! See!"

"Eeeeh…" Kagome paled, treading lightly. _Just don't go near the water…Just don't go near the water…_

"Oh, look how beautiful it is!" Sango took in a deep breath of the sea air, smiling. Miroku walked hastily to the sand, followed by Shippou, Sango, Inuyasha, and finally Kagome. Inuyasha sauntered along, trying to put up an act of being unaffected by it all, but it showed that he enjoyed the scenery more than anyone else. Kagome, on the other hand, was terrified, and always checked the ground where she walked.

"C'mon, Raven-chan!" Shippou hopped up and down on the ground, waving his little arms around. "I'll protect you! Promise!"

Kagome sighed a little. She couldn't deny the poor kid. "I know, Shippou-chan, but…" As she turned her head, something off in the distance caught her eye. She paused, trying to focus her vision. "Hey…what's that?"

Miroku pointed out into the distance at the building Kagome was referring to. "That's the Gospela. It's an old church that Naraku had renovated not too long ago." It didn't look all that large to Kagome, but then again, they were quite a distance away. It was perched on top of a cliff over-looking the ocean, and other than the long and narrow steeple that topped it off it didn't look like anything special.

Still, something about it amazed Kagome. "Hey…Could we maybe go up and see it?"

Miroku raised a hand over his eyes to shield the sun, peering up at it. "Well, let's eat first. After, I wouldn't mind paying it a little visit."

Sango nodded. "It sounds like a plan! But first, I'm famished. Where do you guys want to set up the picnic?"

Inuyasha grinned cockily, giving Kagome a glance. "Why not eat RIGHT next to the water?"

She shot him an icy glare, shuddering at the same time. Sango sighed at the two. "Let's just settle on the beach over there. It's not very close to the water, and I think Raven will be all right."

Reluctantly, Kagome really had no other option but to agree.

~

"So, Inuyasha, why don't YOU take classes?" Kagome jeered at him, nudging into his side with her elbow. He just scoffed.

"I do, wench! Just not during the summer."

Miroku laughed, leaning in closer to Sango. "Ah, winter…I always take the time when there is no Inuyasha for granted…"

The youkai exterminator managed to push Miroku's hand away from her before it could travel too low, smiling good-naturedly. "Somehow I can't even imagine Inuyasha sitting in a classroom being quiet for so long!"

Inuyasha sat up, glaring at the couple. "Why the hell are you deciding to pick on me now?!"

Kagome laughed to herself, taking a bite from the apple Sango had smuggled out of the kitchen for her. Shippou had located himself down at Kagome's side, nibbling on a small piece of turkey. "Isn't it funny how Inuyasha is the son of the most important man in the area, yet we can still out power him so easily?"

"Out power?!" Inuyasha glared at Kagome, leaning towards her. "So it's a fight you want, is it?!"

"Please now, Inuyasha." Miroku grinned mischievously at the pair. "You'll have plenty of time for this when you two get back to the bedroom."

Inuyasha's face blushed violently, and in a second he had leaned back and settled himself down into a pouty, sulky position. "Keep whatever perverted thoughts you have going through your head to yourself, you lecher!"

Sango sighed a little, turning to Kagome. "Well, it's good that Inuyasha finally has someone to set him straight. His room hasn't been clean in ages! He's needed a new maid for a long, long time."

The hanyou gripped the glass of wine so tightly in his hand it nearly cracked. "Now you too?! What is it with you people and insulting my living arrangements?!"

Miroku raised a finger knowingly, closing his eyes. "Well, Inuyasha, it is a well-known fact that you aren't the tidiest person in the ca-…" Before he could even finish his sentence Inuyasha smacked him hard across the head, glaring. "Why you little…!"

Somehow the Gospela had distracted Kagome's thoughts once more. Without even realizing it she found herself constantly turning to stare at it, as if she had missed some important detail about the building. They had been there for nearly an hour now, and she didn't have any plans on dining longer. "Hey…can we go visit the church now?"

Sango shifted from her sitting position, moving to her knees. "It's getting late, so we probably should pack up anyway. Me and Miroku will clean up here, so why don't you, Inuyasha, and Shippou-chan head up?"

Miroku smirked triumphantly. "Ah, I had no idea you were so eager to get me alone, Sango-chan!"

The youkai exterminator just rolled her eyes. "Don't get your hopes up, pervert."

"But Sango-cha—n!"

Inuyasha stood, brushing himself off. "I have no problems with getting away from the whining lecher's voice. I don't know what interests you so much about a stupid old church, though…"

Shippou bounded ahead of them, towards the cliff on which the small building was located. "Well, c'mon then Raven-chan! Inuyasha!"

Kagome nodded and rushed after the fox-demon, hoisting her dress up a little to gain some more speed. Inuyasha just walked silently along after them, indifferent.

"Have you ever been there, Inuyasha?" Miroku and Sango were just leaving view as the threesome made their ascent, Shippou constantly keeping a good few paces ahead.

Inuyasha just shrugged. "Yeah. I come down here a lot, so I've come in once or twice. I'm telling you, it's nothing special though. I don't know why Naraku has such a huge interest in it."

"Raven-chan, hurry up!" Shippou stopped where he was, turning around to face the pair. "It'll be dark soon!"

Inuyasha walked up to the child, picking him up by the back of his neck. "Oh, in such a hurry, are you?"

Shippou's eyes got teary as he began to flail around. "Rave--n!! Ra—ve—n!!" 

The servant girl grumbled, raising a hand to her forehead. "Inuyasha, put him down."

"Feh!" Inuyasha tossed Shippou forward a good distance, causing him to roll up into a ball and tumble towards the church. Kagome stared on, horrified. "Inuyasha!"

He looked at her, crossing his arms as he began walking again. "What now?"

"That was horrible of you! He could've gotten hurt!" Kagome ran forward to help the fox-demon to his feet, since he was obviously discombobulated. Inuyasha got an upset look on his face, glaring to the side. "I don't know why you like that stupid little thing so much anyway."

Kagome, however, had been momentarily distracted by something else. "Hey…Is it just me, or does this look a lot smaller from a distance?"

The hanyou looked the Gospela up and down, bored. "Wench, things usually DO look smaller from a distance."

"I know that!" Kagome hissed at him. "But, I mean, in general…Does it look like it suddenly got a lot taller?"

Shippou had made it back to his feet and was now straining his neck to see the whole building, since they were now right in front of him. "Ne…She's right."

"Keh!" Inuyasha, who had still not given it any attention, just waltzed right up to the door. "We can't be dawdling around the entrance all day. If you're going to go in, go in."

Kagome looked at him for a moment before turning her nose up, shoving him to the side. "Fine, I will!" With that she pulled the thick doors open, allowing Shippou to scatter in before them. 

"Uwa—!!" He stopped in the middle of the room, with Kagome and Inuyasha following close behind. "Look at it!"

Kagome raised a hand to her mouth, shocked. _This can't be true…! It's HUGE! _The ceiling stretched out an amazing distance, covered with skillfully painted pictures of angels and legends and warriors, all done in the greatest detail. There were pillars lining the massive hall, and doors scattered along all four walls, each painted with a different beautiful image of some sort of god or goddess. "What is this…?" Inuyasha stood near the door, staring around in amazement. "This…this can't be the same Gospela…"

Shippou bounded over to one of the doors, adorned with the image of a beautiful woman dressed in orange fur and having large, dangling jewelry all over her body. 

Inuyasha walked past Kagome, inspecting each different doorway, pausing at one that showed a great warrior standing valiantly with his foot placed on the head of a great oni. "What are behind these?" He pulled it open just slightly, peeking in before entering completely, a look of amazement on his face. Similarly Shippou had entered the room he was examining, leaving Kagome standing alone in the middle of the grand church. 

_This isn't right…_She looked around her, mouth gaping. It was grand, to be sure, but something about the whole place was giving her a bad feeling. _This isn't just a trick of light and perspective…It can't just be a mirage, either…_She turned to look at the door to her immediate left, surprised to see something that…well, someone who looked similar to her. It was the image of a regal priestess in full-gown, one hand reaching back for an arrow and the other gripping the bow in a ready position, surrounded by swarms of silhouetted youkai. Unconsciously drawn to the scenario Kagome approached, slowly placing her hand on the handle before pushing it open. 

_What is this place?! _Kagome was frozen to the spot, staring at the scenery that surrounded her. Thousands upon thousands of tiny mirrors lined the walls, all leading to the same spot on the back wall. A grand piano framed gold stood a good distance away from Kagome, and it was only then that she noticed the girl sitting on the wooden bench, her back turned to the door. Hesitantly, the raven-haired girl approached, the gentle sound of the piano finally reaching her. Above the grand instrument there was a massive stained glass window, shedding a beautiful pattern of lights and colors on the ground just behind where the girl was seated.

Kagome stopped when she reached the color-stained ground, watching silently as the faceless woman played the piano with the greatest ease and grace. The melody was an amazingly soft and gentle ballad that wasn't much like anything Kagome had ever heard before. "Excuse me…"

The music stopped at Kagome's plea, and the woman turned to face her, her pure-black hair flowing down and around her body. Kagome was stunned at her beauty; dark brown eyes and long, nicely cut hair that she had not bothered to tie back. There was a strange look and characteristic in her actions; not exactly indifferent or cold, but just tired. The woman examined her for a moment, looking a few years older than Kagome herself, before raising her eyes to her younger counterpart's. "What are you doing here?"

Kagome was stunned, raising a hand to her chest. "I'm sorry if…if I interrupted you…"

A look flickered over the woman's face, filled with pity, and she glanced nervously towards the door. "You should leave."

Her voice gave away nothing of how she was feeling, because it never wavered and never rose. No matter what sort of expressions were passing through her eyes, her over-all countenance remained stone.

Kagome stepped forward, farther into the light splayed across the ground due to the stained glass window overhead. "Your playing is very beautiful…what is it?"

There was another pause before the woman's eyes flicked back to the door again, and once more she turned on the bench, going back to playing the gentle ballad, her eyes narrowing coldly.

"Kikyou…" Kagome whirled around at the new voice, surprised. Standing a little ways away from the door was a beautiful man with waving, flowing black hair, and next to him was…_Kanna?!_

The man looked surprised to see the girl standing in the light, her black dress swaying with her as she turned to him so suddenly. Her back reflected the light hitting it, very nearly making her glow, creating a great contrast between the bright colors behind her and her pure black hair. "And…you are?"

Kagome twitched, clutching her fist around the coins resting in her collar, taking a nervous step back. "I'm sorry to intrude, I was just…"

"No, it's no intrusion." The man smiled, sending chills through Kagome's body. His hair was amazingly long and amazingly beautiful, but something about his face made Kagome want to run away, while freezing her to the spot at the same time. His eyes were narrow, and his robes were made of a black shiny material, only accentuated by his pale-white skin. He was obviously a rich man, with black jewels and pearls around his neck and wrists, and with a large silver cross hanging from his neck. 

She flitted her eyes to Kanna, finding it suddenly hard to concentrate with the soothing music playing in the background, contrasting the turmoil she suddenly felt in this man's present. _If Kanna is here…That means…Is this Naraku?_

"How have you found your way here?" He began approaching Kagome once more, making her stumble back and very nearly bump into the girl at the piano. 

"I just came to see what it was…" She slowly moved her eyes to the side, to the mirrors that lined the walls, some reason searching for her reflection. As she searched the mirrors back, it suddenly dawned on her that other than her, there were no reflections. Not the woman playing the piano, not Naraku's, and not Kanna's. Her eyes widened in horror before she swung her head back to look at the man approaching her, her fists clenching in fear.__

"Why do you look so scared?" Naraku gave her a bone-chilling smile, stopping and spreading his arms a little. "This is my sanctuary. I own it. I would expect a little more respect."

Kagome hesitated, the look in Naraku's eyes causing her heart to pound unnaturally hard in her chest. "I-I'm sorry…" She bowed deeply, hanging her head and hiding her face. "I don't…mean to be rude."

Naraku suddenly chuckled low in his throat, looking the girl up and down. "Oh, no trouble. You're actually quite charming."

Kagome tensed up, and so did the girl sitting behind her, quite noticeably. A note from the piano was slurred and lost when she heard those words, her hands quite literally beginning to shake as she continued the ballad. 

"Oi!" The door behind Naraku swung open, revealing Inuyasha's familiar form. "Hey, you in he-…"

He paused when his eyes settled on Naraku, immediately baring his fangs. "Naraku, what the hell are you doing here?!"

Naraku laughed effeminately, nonchalantly turning to face Inuyasha. "Ah, if it isn't my favorite hanyou!"

"That doesn't answer my question…" Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, readying his claws. "Tell me, what are you doing here?"

Naraku faked a hurt look. "Now, now, Inuyasha. This is MY church. Why wouldn't I be here?"

It seemed that the only one who noticed the music had stopped was Kagome. She turned her head to look at the girl sitting at the bench, surprised to see the woman's shoulders shaking and her fingers pressed violently down against the keys. 

"Oi." Kagome turned again, as this was the name Inuyasha normally used when referring to her. "Let's go. I don't want to be in the same building as this sort of crap."

Naraku chuckled again, but otherwise didn't say anything.

Behind her, Kagome could sense the shift of the piano player, who had now presumably turned to stare at the confrontation going on. The maid tilted her head some, just enough to see the woman gracefully step up to her, just into the light splayed down across the church floors. Almost instantly, Kagome could feel the mood in the room change drastically for the worse. Inuyasha's eyes had widened in shock and untraceable pain, his shoulders dropping as he stared at the beautiful piano player.

"Kikyou…"

~

Kagome's eyes moved from the woman, Kikyou, to Inuyasha, back and forth, just waiting for any sort of movement. The hanyou's mouth was just slightly open, his eyes wavering uncertainly as he stared on at Kikyou, whom had yet to show any emotion at all. "Inuyasha." She finally spoke, sounding cold and tired. 

"Kikyou…Kikyou, is that really you…?" It was the first time Kagome had ever seen him look so young and sad; he looked like a frightened child. 

When he didn't get an answer, he began to approach her, his hands shaking. Naraku just looked on amused, and Kagome backed up a little, almost afraid of being near that strange woman any longer. "Kikyou, I thought…"

Before he could get within even ten feet of her, Kikyou's lips curled into a horrible frown, her eyes narrowing threateningly. "Go to hell, Inuyasha."

The hanyou stopped, eyes going even wider, if that were possible. "Kikyou, what do you…?"

"Go to HELL!" She spat out at him, her hand rising to her chest as if cradling a wound there. "Go to hell, go to hell, GO TO HELL!"

Inuyasha's expression filled with pain, and Kagome retreated even farther, recognizing the sort of agony that was bursting out of Kikyou. Suddenly she saw an image of her mother in her mind, when she was still young and vital. She saw how her face shattered, how she fell to her knees screaming when she heard of her husband's death. It was the same feeling she was now getting from Kikyou, and it very nearly made her eyes fill with tears at the memory.

"Why are you yelling at me?!" Inuyasha was on the verge of crying as well, anger mixing in with the confusing he already felt. "Why are you mad at me?! You're the one who left me! _You_ left _me_!"

Kikyou faltered a little, taking a step back, as if the words stung her. "Me…? Me?! You…You sold me to…to be…"

"Sold you?!" Inuyasha snarled, literally reaching out towards her. "What are you talking about?! You just left! You JUST LEFT!"

Speechless, Kikyou moved her eyes to Naraku, who was nearly laughing at the situation unfurling in front of him. She watched him expectantly, as if waiting for something. Naraku, however, just remained silent.

"Kikyou, please…You have to believe me! I would never…never have…"

"Shut up!" Kikyou whirled back to him, gripping the cloth of her dress so tightly Kagome was surprised it didn't rip. "I don't care…I don't care what happened!"

Inuyasha, who had been gaining momentum, once again stopped, his confidence crushed. "Kikyou…why…?"

"I have DIED hating you!" She was almost screaming at him, her eyebrows pulled down in anger. "I will always hate you! Until you come to hell with me…I will drag you to hell MYSELF!"

Kagome raised a hand to her mouth, shocked. _Is that why she had no reflection? _Her eyes darted back to the mirrors, staring at the image of herself and Inuyasha, engaged in an argument with someone who didn't exist. _Is she a ghost? Naraku and Kanna…Are they all dead?_

When Kagome turned back to the couple, Inuyasha hadn't moved, and Kikyou was glaring at him with more anguish and despise than Kagome had ever seen in her life. For just a fraction of a second, she swore she could see a drop of blood slip out from between Kikyou's clenched fingers. But, in another second, it was gone, leaving Kagome more confused than ever.

"I have grown bored of this." Naraku put on a show of yawning, still slyly smirking at the pain he had just seen displayed before him. "Kikyou."

Very slowly she loosened her grip on her shirt, allowing her arm to drop down to her side. "…Yes."

"Kikyou, please!" Inuyasha made one last attempt for her, extending his hand forward as far it would go.

The anger in the woman's face faded into something more solid, and with that stoic look that reminded Kagome so drastically of Sesshoumaru, Kikyou walked by the stunned Inuyasha over to Naraku's side. Naraku stood where he was for a few moments, looking Kagome over thoroughly before turning away and waltzing out the door, Kanna and Kikyou following close behind. Inuyasha had not even taken the liberty to look back; already too mentally shattered to find the energy to move.

Kagome stared at him sadly as he stood in the light of the stained glass windows, his hand still extended to someone who wasn't there. Again, the image of her mother kneeling heartbroken on the ground entered into her mind. Her mother hadn't cried that day, just as Inuyasha wasn't crying now. Somehow, perhaps because she did not fully understand what was going on, Kagome felt numb to the display that had just unfolded in front of her. For Kikyou and for Inuyasha, she could only feel so bad…Night after night she had cried for her departed father, for herself, but mostly for her mother. Now that she was seeing Inuyasha, frozen from the pain and shock, she was filled with guilt because of her lack of reaction. _Have I really become this bitter? _She turned her body, staring at her broken up reflection in the hundreds of mirrors that covered the wall. _Am I really…that cold?_

~

**Author's Note: **Whee! Wow! Short chapter! And I know, there's no real Sesshoumaru. _ I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just felt like I was going a little too fast, and as we all know, there's more to Inuyasha than just the two characters I'd prefer to focus on. *sigh* Well, Sesshoumaru will be coming back next chapter, don't worry. And the whole Kikyou-Inuyasha thing will be explained, and so will Rin, I think, and it'll be good times for all! I'm really sorry this is so late. This was just extremely difficult for me to write. I'd say I was busy, but that's not really an excuse. I haven't been THAT busy…It's just been difficult for me to think of directions where I could take this. In the end I decided to make it a bit melodramatic, just for the sake of not sounding too obnoxiously happy and ridiculous in this whole stupid fanfic. XD I'm sorry if you don't like it! But, I'll tell you the truth, I wouldn't have worked on it if it weren't for you guys. The people who have reviewed have inspired me enough to get off my lazy arse and get this done as fast as I can. Again, I'd like to say that I DO realize you all want Sesshoumaru-Kagome fluff (or at least most of you), and trust me, that's coming up real soon. First I need to toss some pining in there…y'know…since they're separated and stuff. Whoo! Well, thank you all SO much! Especially lynnie, who actually printed out my story. XD That makes me feel SO GOOD. And osvark, I don't really have any inspiration…the truth is, I'm just winging it as I go along. I'm not a very thorough author, now am I…? X_x I'll try to update soon. I love you ALL!

I just updated this. Oh geez, Fallon, thank you SO much for that mistake. I am such a dork at times I can't believe myself. They weren't supposed to know her name was Kagome, I'm just a dip and I'm empty-headed and I don't know what's going on so I accidentally had Shippou and Sango say her name a few times. I'm so so so so sorry! Fallon, extra-big-thanks for that. I appreciate it SO much! Haha, it's fixed now, so anyone reading this AFTER I fixed it…well…Good! Yes. I hope that clears things up for some people..

Until next time, MATA NE!


	8. Chapter 8 Be With You!

**Author's Note:** Hello! Yaaay, 76 reviews! *waves around little flags* Love, love, love…I love you all! *big group hug and group kiss to everyone* Heck, I even got an e-mail. Ashley, thank you so, so, so, SO much for that. It made me feel really good. And thanks to you, I've decided to start writing today! I wasn't going to, but your e-mail inspired me. So, again, thank you! And…here we go!

~

Sesshoumaru was tired and frustrated. He had just spent over seven hours 'discussing' land plans with some insufferable youkai whom didn't know a thing about the negotiation strategies used in modern time. The only upside seemed to be that the confused lord, the son of the man Inutaishou had made the contract with a decade or so ago, had just given up. He was a fool when it came to these sorts of issues, so to save himself the embarrassment of messing things up and making an enemy out of the fearsome dog-youkai that had just approached him, he gave into all of their demands.

Inutaishou had been surprised. He was prepared for a week of intense conversations and negotiations that would end up with a land contract giving them only a small portion of what they wanted. The outcome was pleasant, of course, but it left Inutaishou and Sesshoumaru both feeling empty inside. _What a waste of time…_

The youkai prince was insulted by the display that had just transpired, but at the same time pleased that it took no longer than two days. He was unnaturally anxious to get back home. The room that he was staying in now just didn't feel right to him. It wasn't amazingly small, but it was nowhere near the size of his normal chambers, and he always felt a tad bit annoyed when surrounded by unfamiliar corridors and rooms. 

What was bothering him even more was the fact that sometimes he'd forget where he was and turn from the desk that had been provided for him, opening his mouth to insult his melodramatic human maid. Every time, after he realized that he wasn't in his home and she wasn't there in his room, he got this horrible empty feeling in his chest and the room seemed to darken considerably. After nearly an hour of mental debate over the subject, he decided that it wasn't the maid that he missed. He just missed insulting and demanding her around, that's all. It didn't matter who it was, just as long as he had someone to intimidate. Unfortunately, this theory also crumbled before him when he realized there were plenty of whimpering servants scurrying around the halls, all of who he could just look at and send them to their knees. For some reason, it just didn't feel the same as when he was with his own maid, who always tried so hard to spite him with her considerable work. 

He moved his eyes over to the cloth bag sitting on his bag. No matter what he did, that dark feeling kept on growing in his chest, and it aggravated him more than anything else. Normally he liked…no, loved being alone, away from the fools he was constantly surrounded by. But now, sitting alone in this unfamiliar room, without the maid he had only had for a week, it felt vacant. He wanted to be calling her stupid; he wanted to watch her bumble around with that determined look on her face. He wasn't used to wanting things, and he absolutely hated it. 

Standing, Sesshoumaru made his way over to the bed, sitting down on it and despising the way it felt so different from his own. He had to somehow get control of his thoughts before he went insane. Sesshoumaru sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead

_…Stupid girl._

~

After the Gospela incident, Inuyasha was touchier than usual. He remained silent for most of the walk back, except for little episodes of anger in which he yelled violently at anyone who brought up what had just happened. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou were left in the dark about why Inuyasha had become so angry, and Kagome had decided against telling anyone about it, even if Inuyasha wasn't around. 

_I don't think he'd appreciate it if I went around spreading his love issues…_She sighed heavily, looking forward at him. _Inuyasha…are you ever going to cheer up now?_

Inuyasha had rejected going down to dinner once they got home, as it was swiftly getting dark, and Kagome decided against leaving him. It was quite obvious that he didn't want any company, but she was convinced that he needed it. 

"What do you want?" Inuyasha turned to Kagome, glaring and huffy. "Just go eat or something! I want to be alone!"

Kagome looked at him silently for a moment before sitting down on the ground. "…I won't make any noise."

Inuyasha scoffed, turning his head away and stomping over towards the window, perching himself in it much like Kagome often did. "Keh!"

The maid sighed heavily, placing her hands in her lap as she watched Inuyasha sulk. It made her depressed, seeing him like this. Whether he was angry or not, he was always energetic. Now he wasn't much like himself at all. _Sesshoumaru…_she glanced to the door tiredly. _What are you doing now? _She snorted a little to herself, closing her eyes. _Probably ordering around some other maid, I'd guess. He's probably already found a replacement for me…_Kagome hung her head a little, sighing. She wanted to tell herself that she didn't care, but it was no use. In all honesty, she did care if he had found a replacement for her. If not anything else, Kagome was proud of the fact that Sesshoumaru acted a lot more open with her than with anyone else. She didn't want some other person getting that sort of attention, no matter how selfish it sounded.

Inuyasha was restless, constantly looking back at the girl in his room. He didn't like having her there, especially when he needed space to think. "Just LEAVE!" He stood, glaring down at the maid sitting on his floor.

"I'm not saying anything, so what's wrong with me staying here?!" She stood as well, returning the look.

"You are MY servant, and I'm telling you to leave, so you'd better leave, wench!" He pointed towards the door.

Kagome clenched her fists. "I'm also your FRIEND if you haven't noticed, and I want to make sure you're not alone when you're obviously so upset! I'm just trying to be a good person!"

"A good person?!" Inuyasha scoffed loudly, crossing his arms. "If you knew what would make me happiest, you would leave! What the hell do you know about what I'm feeling right now?!"

"What is THAT supposed to mean?!" Kagome narrowed her eyes even further, hoping he wasn't serious about that comment.

"You heard me! What do you know about losing the most important person to you?! What do you know about ANYTHING?!"

Kagome stared at him in shock, jaw opened just slightly. "H-how can you…"

Inuyasha paused, loosening the grip on his hands. "I…"

"INUYASHA, YOU BASTARD!" Kagome screamed at him as loudly as she could, eyes beginning to line with tears. "Wh-what do you mean 'what do I know about anything'?! When's the last time YOU'VE been stolen away from your home and sold into slavery?!"

She took a step towards him, causing to stumble back in fear. "Stop being such a child! Inuyasha, why can't you just let things in the past go?!" She stuttered a little, all the blood rushing to her face and her anger blinding her. "I HATE YOU!"

She turned away from him, stomping out of the room in a huff.

The hanyou watched her rush away, somewhat shocked at being rejected a second time in one day. He hopped back onto the window ledge, much more bothered now than ever before. "Why should I have to deal with her…" He grumbled, leaning against the wall and looking down. "She's my maid, she should do whatever I want…"

_I'm also your FRIEND if you haven't noticed, and I want to make sure you're not alone when you're obviously so upset! _His eyes narrowed thoughtfully, glancing out the window. 

_…Raven. You and Kikyou are…so alike. _He sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. _What am I thinking? They're not at all similar. She'll come back in a few minutes, smiling that stupid smile of hers. I know it._

_~_

Kagome violently pulled her hood down over her face, hiding her teary eyes as she rushed down the hall. _Inuyasha…Why did you have to go and say something like that?! I was just trying to help you! _She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand as she walked around aimlessly, her speed decreasing as the anger she felt was replaced by misery. 

_Where am I supposed to go now…? _She looked around at her surroundings, suddenly feeling very lost. She couldn't very well go back to Inuyasha's, and she didn't even feel like looking to Sango for advice, like she knew she could. _I guess…_Sadly, Kagome turned her head in the other direction. _There's only one other place…_

~

Inutaishou and Sesshoumaru arrived back home early the next day, the land contract in hand. It was nearly 8 AM when they entered the building, Inutaishou immediately breaking off from his son to return to his office. Sesshoumaru stood in the great hall for a few seconds, bag gripped tightly in his hand. Somehow, with his tenacious and indestructible powers of repulsion, and with a strange ability to always be there when he's least wanted, Jaken came rushing out of one of the doors. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama--!!"

The youkai prince glanced down at the toad, tossing the bag at his head and causing him to topple over. "Drop this off at the laundry room. Now."

"R-right away, Sesshoumaru-sama! This humble servant is glad to see you back so early! Did everything go as Sesshoumaru-sama had hoped?"

Sesshoumaru stared down at him menacingly. "Jaken."

Jaken made a little croaking noise, bowing down to his master. "Right away, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!" 

As soon as Jaken disappeared down the winding stairs, Sesshoumaru started towards Inuyasha's room. It was quite literally on the opposite side of the castle as his, due to some issues the brothers had had a long time ago. Over the day and night he had been away from his home, thoughts of his brother and his maid had crossed over his mind so often and so persistently that he was on the verge of actually being worried. That wouldn't be a problem if Sesshoumaru didn't make it a point to never worry over such trivial things; especially if they concerned his brother.

Without knocking, Sesshoumaru opened the door to his younger brother's room, stepping inside. "Inuyasha."

The hanyou stirred in his bed a little, turning to press his face down into the pillow, muttering something incomprehensible. Sesshoumaru looked around, seeing no sides of his servant. "Inuyasha." He repeated.

Inuyasha turned over once more, yawning and just barely finding the energy to sit up. "Nng…" He looked groggily over to Sesshoumaru, the drowsiness he felt delaying his reaction. "Wha-…" Finally it registered. "Sesshoumaru?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

The youkai tried to pay his brother's stupidity no mind, giving him one of his monotonous looks as always. "Inuyasha, where's my maid?"

Now a bit more attentive, Inuyasha looked around his room, surprised. "Raven? You mean…she didn't come back?"

_Raven…? _Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the hanyou. "What do you mean, 'didn't come back'?" 

"Well…" Inuyasha looked to the side bashfully, trying to avoid the degrading look his older brother was giving him. "We…we got in an argument and…I thought she'd come back over the night!"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, more pissed off at his little brother than he had been in a long time. "Inuyasha, your idiocy still amazes me. You can't even help but appall humans now."  
Inuyasha rubbed his head, glaring childishly at Sesshoumaru. "Why are you back so early, anyway?"

"That's none of your business."

"Keh…" Inuyasha snorted. "I'll just ask dad later. Don't get in a tizzy, I'll find her…" He moved to get out of bed, but Sesshoumaru stopped him.

"No." It was an order. "I don't want you going near my property any longer. That's not a request."

With that he turned and waltzed out of the room, leaving Inuyasha confused and moody. The hanyou growled, flexing his claws and moving to get dressed. "Fuck Sesshoumaru…I'll find her myself!"

~

Sesshoumaru had checked the maids' chambers, the kitchen, the laundry room, and the dining room, but his maid was nowhere to be found. _Where could she be? _He growled, becoming more and more anxious by the minute. The more he thought of the possibilities, the worse those possibilities became. _What if she left the castle? _He growled low in his throat, clenching his fists tightly. _The stupid girl probably did it just to spite my stupid brother…_

Something made him rethink that. She was a bit melodramatic, and often did ridiculous things, but he doubted if she would ever honestly leave the castle. Especially not after being attacked by that snake youkai outside his room. An idea flashed by Sesshoumaru's mind, picking up the pace as he strode down the halls. _My room…_He grinned a little. _That girl makes it far too easy for me._

~

Kagome was in the deepest, most peaceful sleep she had had in a long time, even when she was back in her own home. Everything surrounding her was warm, everything surrounding her was soft, and she didn't even have to deal with bothersome dreams that might interrupt the rest she so desperately needed. She forgot all about Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, her situation, her family; she was just asleep. So, naturally, she was unable to sense the presence lurking above her.

"Girl."

The voice just barely pierced the warmth she was surrounded by, coming out as a light ringing sound. However, it was enough for Kagome to realize that all the comfy darkness was about to shatter around her.

"What…" She muttered it out, still unwilling to open her eyes. 

Now a bit more tuned into her surroundings, she could feel the shift next to her. "Girl." The voice was much louder this time, and in an instant the amused tone registered in her still groggy mind. Her eyes snapped open, and she sprung upwards just to find herself face to face with Sesshoumaru. He had leaned forward on the bed, his forehead was now just a few inches away from her own. "A-..a-..a..a..aaaa…!"

Kagome pushed herself back, all the blood rushing to her cheeks. "Sessh…sess…Sesshoma-maru…"

He grinned in a way that only made Kagome blush more. It wasn't one of his cocky, sarcastic grins, or one of the ones meant only to make the receiver nervous; he almost looked…the word wasn't happy, but it was a different sort of amused. 

Sesshoumaru just kept on staring at the girl as she backed herself against the headboard, eyes wide and face a bright red. "Y-you're certainly b-back early…" She paused for a second, looking to her left and then to her right, confused. "Unless…how long have I been asleep…?" She had meant it a comment more to herself, as Sesshoumaru could tell by the way she muttered it under her breath, although he had no arguments about answering for her.

"You don't look happy to see me back so soon." 

"Ah haaaaah…" Kagome laughed hesitantly, a big puff of air. "O-of course I am, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama! I…I was just…you know, just now…"

The youkai prince raised an eyebrow at her, that strange look still on his face. "Sleeping on my bed."

"N-no! It's not like that!" The maid raised a hand, still laughing hesitantly to him. "I wasn't…"

"SESSHOUMARU-SAMAAAAA!" Rin burst into the room, Jaken following close behind. "Rin, slow down! You'll interrupt Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin chirped around happily, totally ignoring the toad youkai's chiding. "Sesshoumaru-sama, you've come back!" She jumped up, wrapping her little arms around Sesshoumaru's body, giggling. As soon as the door opened the almost happy look the youkai prince had been wearing faded, leaving him with his normal stoic look, glancing down at the girl clinging onto his robes. "Rin."

Kagome breathed out in relief. _Thank you, Rin…_

"I'm so happy you came back soon! I was really, really lonely!" Rin was just bursting with energy, as always. 

"Calm down, Rin." Again, it was an order. Rin nodded her head fervently, turning to Kagome. "Raven-chan, why are you on Sesshoumaru-sama's bed?"

Kagome blinked at her vacantly for a few moments before letting out an 'eep' noise, quickly rolling off. "O-oh! I was just trying to flatten out the sheets…when Sesshoumaru-sama came in, surprising me!"

"Eeeeeh?!" Jaken threw a dirty look at the maid, raising his staff up to smack her hard across the face with it. "Now it's all dirty again! What were you doing in Lord Sesshoumaru-sama's room in the first place?! Stupid human!"

He reared up to hit her again, when Sesshoumaru reached forward, gripping on tightly to the toad-youkai's staff. "Jaken."

The little demon looked up at his master, eyes wide. "But, Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"Let me take care of her." Sesshoumaru kept his gaze steady on the cowering frog, slowly releasing his grip on the cane.

"Let me do that!" Rin rushed over to Kagome, pushing her to the side gently and beginning to enthusiastically flatten out Sesshoumaru's bed. Kagome stood near the corner, surprised and confused. 

_There's way too much going on…_She watched as Rin tried desperately to flatten all of the bed's wrinkles, while Sesshoumaru stared on bored and Jaken flitted around Rin like a fly. Kagome relaxed her shoulders some, beginning to smile._ I'm glad…It's like he was never gone._

Absent-mindedly Kagome looked out the window. _But…what about Inuyasha? What's going to happen to him? I wonder if he's still sad…_

"Human." Kagome was pulled out of her thoughts, turning to look at her master. "Yes…?"

"Get to work. I want all of my walls and floors clean." He strode over to his desk, gracefully sitting himself down. "Dust has collected in the time I've been away."

The maid just stared at him in shock, having to fight to keep her eye from twitching. _He…he was only gone a day! _She turned in a huff, rolling up her sleeves and marching into the bathroom. _Good for nothing…I guess some things really don't change…_

"Oh, girl." Sesshoumaru stopped her, causing her body to tense up right in the entrance to the bathroom. "I want to see the floors shining. And don't use any water…It dries there and leaves awful stains."

Kagome's fingers twitched uncontrollably as she narrowed her eyes. _…Bastard! _She whirled her body to him, plastering a sweet, happy smile onto her face. "Right away, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama! If it makes Lord Sesshoumaru-sama happy, this humble servant will scrub on hands and knees until Lord Sesshoumaru-sama's reflection can be perfectly seen!" With that, Kagome very literally flounced into the bathroom, cheerfully shutting the door behind her.

Sesshoumaru had to resist the urge to smirk, looking back at Rin and Jaken. _Some things don't change._

~

Kagome was on her hands and knees in the bathroom, scrubbing the floors vigorously, fueled by her anger. It was harder work than it should've been, especially since she had absolutely no water to work with. _Stupid Sesshoumaru…making me do this…_She growled at her own thoughts, pressing the cloth down so close to the floor her knuckles turned white. _Stupid, stupid Sesshoumaru…I can't believe I actually wanted him to come back…good-for-nothing bastard…_

She listened to Sesshoumaru's groupies babble around in his room, Rin jumping around to get stuff done, and Jaken yelling at her for touching Sesshoumaru's property. It was a half an hour before Sesshoumaru gave Jaken one of his 'looks,' or so Kagome guessed, with the way Jaken babbled and squawked until he finally managed to coax the squealing Rin out of the room. Kagome dreaded the silence; she would rather be able to listen to the cheerful Rin and the huffy Jaken than have to do this busywork with only her own thoughts to comfort her. 

_Inuyasha…_her mind melted back to the hanyou, and the way they had argued the other night. She loved him, just as strongly as she loved Sango and Miroku, being that they were the only people in the world she seemed to have anymore. But, the way he had talked to her…He put such a mental strain on her sometimes that she felt like she'd just go insane. _Why does he have to be so pigheaded?! _She scrubbed faster, narrowing her eyes. _I had only been trying to help him…! He never even bothers to think about how other people feel…_

"Stupid Inuyasha…" She muttered, shifting her body to clean further to the side.

Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway, an eyebrow raised at his young maid. "What about my fool of a brother?"

Kagome blinked, surprised, turning on her knees to look up at her master. "Ah…Sesshoumaru-sama…"

Mentally she smacked herself. _Dammit, Kagome! Never talk out loud! Never! Never ever! _"Oh…it's nothing, I was just…" Before she could ponder over a suitable lie, Sesshoumaru took a step into the bathroom.

"Thinking about whatever argument you two had yesterday?" 

Kagome stared up at him, eyes narrowing in anger. _How does this guy know every intimate detail about…everything?!_

Sesshoumaru smirked down at her, immensely entertained by her expression. "Well?"

The maid chewed on the inside of her lip for a second or two before turning back to the floor, returning to her work. "If you don't mind, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, this humble servant has cleaning to do…"

"I do mind. You can finish this later, now I want you to straighten out my bed."

Kagome paused, still not looking to him. "Didn't Rin-chan already do that?"

"I gave you your orders." Sesshoumaru stepped back and presumably left, although Kagome still had not turned to look at him. She sat there motionlessly, glaring down at the tiled ground. "Of course, Sesshoumaru-_sama…_Whatever makes you happy…"

After she had sucked in a few strong breaths, regaining control of her temper, she stood and waltzed out of the bathroom. Not even bothering to look at her master, she walked straight to the bed, pulling lightly at the sheets to try and flatten out any wrinkles that might be on the surface. The mood in the room was tenser than usual, and they both noticed it.

Finally, Sesshoumaru spoke. "So, what is it you and my idiot brother quarreled about?"

Kagome refused to say anything, just going about her work as if he had said nothing at all. Sesshoumaru growled, baring his fangs menacingly. "Girl, I asked you a question." He reached forward and grasped her wrist violently tight, spinning her around.

She finally glanced up at him, eyebrows pulled down in anger. "I understand that, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, but this humble servant doesn't see why it is necessary to bother her master with such trivial things."

Before she even knew what was coming, Kagome could feel a burning impact flash across her cheek, throwing her to the side. The initial blow was immediately replaced by a hot stinging sensation that brought tears to her eyes. Shocked, she slowly raised a hand to her face, gently touching her fingers to the cuts that had been left there by Sesshoumaru's claws. "You seem to be confused about your place in this community, human."

Kagome's eyes, wide and wavering just slightly, darted over to Sesshoumaru. Luckily for her, the tears caused from the sudden pain were beginning to fade, none having spilled over down her face. More than the sting on her cheek, she was frightened of the look on Sesshoumaru's face; a sort of intense anger she had never seen before. 

"If I ask you a question, you answer it." His lips were upturned just slightly, revealing his fangs. "If I tell you to do something, you do it right away. Do you understand?"

The frightened human girl carefully pulled her hand away from her face, examining the smudged blood that still lingered on her fingertips. "…Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama…"

The youkai prince seemed satisfied with the answer, allowing his body to relax a little. _Ridiculous human…_He stared down at her coldly, unrest building in him. He had no explanation to why her indifference to him bothered him so much, or to why he had just so violently lost his temper towards the fragile girl. 

As if expecting the conversation to then be over, Sesshoumaru turned away from his maid, silently walking over to his desk and sitting himself down. He had decided to get something else done, or at least to do something to take his mind off of the foolish human, before his thoughts were interrupted. 

"Kikyou…" 

Sesshoumaru moved his head just enough so that he could look at the human girl from the corner of his eye, surprised to see that she had not moved from the position he had left her in. "Kikyou…" She repeated. "Do you recognize that name?"

When Kagome received no response, she continued. "I'm not positive, but…I think that she was Inuyasha's past lover…"

The image of an attractive young human woman, who actually quite resembled his own maid, flashed through Sesshoumaru's mind. "Yes…I know who you're speaking of."

"We…" Kagome began to rub her thumb against her fingertips, smudging the blood that was there. "We were in the Gospela, when I met her…"

Sesshoumaru's eyes twitched just slightly, moving himself to get a better view of the human. "The Gospela?"

All he got in response to the question was a slight nod. "Yes…she was there…and, so was Naraku…"

Sesshoumaru very nearly rose from his chair, now completely facing the girl. "Naraku? You talked to Naraku?"

Again, Kagome just nodded. "He's a very…frightening man."

"Inuyasha…" Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, flexing his claws out just slightly. "He's a fool for going anywhere near there…"

"Inuyasha and Kikyou…Apparently Kikyou hates Inuyasha now, for reasons I can't understand…Inuyasha was crushed…When we got back to the castle, I tried to comfort him, but…" Kagome suddenly clenched her hand, eyes sparking up in anger. "He just acted like a jerk about it! I just tried to help him, and he had to go and be ridiculous about it!"

Sesshoumaru relaxed, sinking back into his chair now that the subject of Naraku was over. "Of course. You should've known he would've been like that. Why would you want to help him?" Sesshoumaru scoffed just slightly, not focusing so intensely on his maid any longer. Kagome shrugged a little, beginning to rub the cut on her cheek. "He's…my friend. Of course I'd want to help him…and maybe I just felt guilty…"

"Guilty?" The youkai prince raised an eyebrow at her.

"When they were arguing…Inuyasha and Kikyou, I mean…The way that they acted was more than pitiable…It was one of the most miserable, sympathy-worthy displays that I've ever seen in my life. But…" Kagome got an almost childish look on her face, one of anger due to her inability to understand. "I didn't feel that bad. I didn't really feel anything at all."

Sesshoumaru let out a sound very close to the 'keh' Inuyasha was famous for. "And you felt bad because of that?"

The human girl turned her head to look at the youkai, eyes narrowed. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

He gave her a bored look, swinging one arm over the back of his chair. "How do you expect to feel bad for someone if you don't even know their situation? Just because someone looks miserable, without knowing why, there's no way you can expect yourself to feel pain for them. If there are none of your personal feeling involved, how can they be hurt?"

Kagome paused, staring over at Sesshoumaru thoughtfully. "…I guess you're right." She blinked, as if surprised with the revelation, looking down at the ground. "I never thought about it like that…"

"Of course you didn't." Sesshoumaru looked exasperated with her foolishness, looking her up and down. "You over dramatize everything."

Kagome held herself back from responding to that, though still giving him a somewhat dirty look. They went on like that, staring at each other silently for nearly two minutes, before Kagome even realized that they were doing it. She turned away quickly, a blush rising to her cheeks. _I just can't…get over his eyes, no matter how cruel he is…_

The youkai watched her reaction curiously, though he showed no sign of it on his eyes. For some reason, all the anger and contempt he had earlier felt towards her was vanished, and the cut on her cheek was now beginning to deeply bother him. Seeing the blood on her cheek, especially being that he had caused it, created a feeling of protectiveness in him that he had only ever felt towards Rin.

"I guess…" Kagome finally spoke, trying to hide her flushed expression. "I guess I should get back to work."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her, standing and walking into the bathroom for a moment, before returning with a towel in hand. Kagome stared up at him, confused, before realizing that her cheek was probably still bleeding. Expecting him to hand it to her, she reached out for it.

Surprisingly, he did not let her take it. He took a few confident strides forward, pressing it to her cheek himself, his expression giving off nothing. Kagome's eyes widened just barely, moving over to look at his hand before moving back to him. Sesshoumaru caught the look and just brushed it off as if it were nothing. "You cannot even clean floors properly. Why should I trust you when it comes to wounds?"

Kagome couldn't help but smile a little, looking off to the side. "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama knows best."

After wiping up what he could, Sesshoumaru nonchalantly tossed the somewhat bloodied cloth into Kagome's arms, giving her a conclusive look. "Go wash this, now."

"…Oh." The human girl looked down at the cloth for a second, before moving her gaze up to Sesshoumaru. "Right away, Sesshoumaru-sama."

She headed towards the door, stopping right before exiting out into the hall. Sesshoumaru kept his eyes steady on her, a questioning look on his face. Suddenly, Kagome turned back to him, looking him straight in the eye. "You know…I'm glad you came back early." She paused, as if getting her thoughts in order. "I'm glad I'm your maid." 

He flinched some, enough for Kagome to notice. She hesitated a little when she realized how this must've sounded. "I mean…over staying with Inuyasha."

With that she bowed her head down, pulling the maid's hood over her head and stepping out into the corridors, disappearing from Sesshoumaru's view. Stoic as always, Sesshoumaru stood where he was, pondering the situation. Slowly, that same amused grin grew onto his face. He sank down into his chair and looked out the window thoughtfully as he once again began planning ways to make his maid's life as bothersome as possible.

~

**Author's Note: **Woah. Woah. Woah. Damn was Kagome OOC. Yes, people, I realize it. But, I mean, it's REALLY hard, because…you never really see her interacting with Sesshoumaru. I guess I'm just adding my own flare to her, so that the situation will look cuter. Sigh. I'm really, really sorry people. I do realize that she's insanely out of computer, and so is Sesshoumaru, but I'm not really positive on how to write them. ._.; Forgive me! I feel bad now. And…It's not too long, but it's a sooner update than the others, right? I did it just for Ashley and her kind e-mail. Of course all your reviews helped, too. But yes, I tried to pack in as much fluff as I could. I know it's probably not enough for a lot of you people, but let's be honest. They've only known each other for a week! I don't want to be ridiculously unrealistic. Not that my characters already aren't. o_@; Argh. 

ELLA! Haha, everyone, guess what? One of my chatroom friends ended up being a fan of this story, without her even knowing I was the author. We just made the connection today. Ella I love you! *waves* I just wanted to shout out to her, because…I can…I just want to make her feel special. Feel special, Ella.

All right, I'd like to apologize for everyone who read this chapter last night or whenever it was it came up. o@ You see, I'm a student of Japanese, and because of that I set my computer into Japanese recently for more exposure. Well, apparently that screws up the uploading process as well, making everything all screwy. It should be fixed now. ^_^ Thank you for bearing with me!

I'll try to update soon! Until then, tata!


	9. Chapter 9 Impress You!

**Author's Note: **…^o^;; It's been a month. Oh geez people, I'm so sorry. I don't really have that good of an excuse. At least, not for the latter half of the month. I was studying and worrying myself with school and crap until the 20th-ish, but..I don't really have any other reason.. ._. I'm going to try to write TWO chapters right now to make it up to you. ^_^ That's probably what I could've written if I had gotten my arse in gear. I'm so sorry. I also broke 100 reviews! ..YAAAY! I feel so so so so good…And again, I got inspiring e-mails from Ashley. You guys make me happy! All right, I don't own Inuyasha or the characters, it's all copyrighted, blah blah.

~

Kagome woke up much earlier than usual that morning, before dawn had even broke. Her mind was mulling over so many things she felt it would be impossible to fall back asleep under these circumstances. When she had returned back to Sesshoumaru's room the previous night, after personally scrubbing and drying the stained cloth herself, her master was already in bed. Kagome presumed that he was asleep, but the man was unpredictable and she wouldn't have been surprised if he was quite awake.

The maid sat up in her bed, rubbing her arms a little as the cool air coming in from the windows finally struck her. The window curtains swayed back and forth lightly in the chilled breeze, and almost mechanically she stood to remedy that little problem. Striding over to the open window she leaned over some, grabbing onto the shutters and staring out at her surroundings. A wave of nostalgia moved over her as the stars sparkled in the sky, crickets and other nocturnal bugs chirping rhythmically in the forest. Forgetting her original goal of shutting the window, she ended up sitting on the ledge as she often did, legs swinging against the outside wall of the castle as she stared out into the sky. In her mind she could hear the voices of her mother and brother singing some old rhyme happily, and she could see Souta's energetic figure hopping cheerfully around the grass outside. Her heart wrenched in an ironic twist of happiness and misery as she raised a hand to the coins hidden in her collar. 

Detachedly, Kagome wondered if all maids came across their work in the way she had. If they were stolen from their small villages in the dark of night, never to be returned back to their families. Somewhat more aware of her own thoughts, Kouga began to make his way into her mind. Questions that she had since ignored began to bother her. For example, why was it that he had made some sort of 'deal' with Sesshoumaru? Everyone seemed to know who she was, and she highly doubted that all maids received any level of recognition upon entering their jobs. Apparently Kouga had owed Sesshoumaru something, but why did it have to be a random girl off the streets? One who had a family, who put up a fight, who had never served anyone before in her life? What was Kouga's and Sesshoumaru's connection? _Other than the fact that I now owe them both my life…_Kagome thought bitterly. Her feelings towards Kouga were odd, even to her. She hated him for what he had done; stolen her away from her family and the life that she had loved so much. However, he had gotten himself injured saving her when he would have probably been better off letting her die. She was grateful, but begrudgingly so. Her feelings towards Sesshoumaru were, arguably, even more confusing. His presence soothed her in a way that she couldn't explain, even though it made her absolutely furious at the same time. _Am I really that petty a person? That I only feel comfortable when I've lost my temper at someone? _She smiled wryly to herself as she realized the one person she loved arguing with most was the one person who could have her killed in an instant. 

As if she didn't have enough things eating away at her, there was one more thing that Kagome couldn't forget about. Naraku and Kikyou. Even though Sesshoumaru had just scoffed at her, told her that she was just acting natural in not feeling any connection, something else disturbed her. She hadn't told Sesshoumaru that they were dead. Still, there was no way that Naraku could just be an apparition. He was well known and all-around hated by most everyone in the castle. No one seemed to notice anything strange about him, at least not when it concerned his presence in the living loop. Kagome shuddered as she remembered the look that Naraku had given her the other day. His eyes were dark and frightening, and just having been in the same room with him had caused her hair to stand on end. Most disturbingly, he had shown some sort of strange interest in her that Kikyou had feared upon their first meeting. _Kikyou…_Kagome placed her hands down onto ledge, beginning to notice the numbness in her legs due to the cold air. _Inuyasha and Kikyou…I don't know what to say to Inuyasha. And what about Kikyou…? What had happened to her? Why had she looked so miserable? If she's just an apparition too…along with Kanna…_Her eyes widened slightly in realization. Kanna was dead. Or, at least, that was the conclusion that she had rather rashly come to. But, if Naraku and all of his servants were some sort of beings different from mortals, that obviously had to include Kagura. There was a thick mist of mystery surrounding the foursome, and Kagome had always been able to sense it from Kanna. 

_That's it. _Kagome tightened her grip on the ledge, narrowing her eyes in determination. _I'll find out…I'll find out what the connection is between all of them! _She let out a big puff of air, for some reason feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her chest. _I won't have to wonder anymore, not after I find out…I won't have to think about it until I have solid proof…And any knowledge I have, if it could help Sesshoumaru…_A small voice in the back of Kagome's mind kept on piping into her thoughts, silently warning her that it would be best if she didn't get involved. These people were quite obviously not the kind who one would usually meddle around with. Nevertheless, powered by the intimidating thought of a future consisting of only Sesshoumaru and serving him until her death, Kagome decided she'd rather play spy than sit around vacant, just waiting to have her head cut off.

Slowly and surely, with a new sense of direction, the maid slid herself from the ledge and quietly shut the window behind her, as to not disturb her master. The sky was beginning to become a tad bluer, hinting that the sun was creeping up on the horizon. _Well, no point going back to sleep…_Kagome cautiously looked over to Sesshoumaru's sleeping form, which didn't appear to have moved at all, and she carefully crept past his bed to the door. She shot one last glance towards him, pausing to confirm the fact that he was indeed asleep. Kagome was not as naïve to believe that he was unconscious just because his eyes were closed, but such a rare look of peace was on his face that she doubted he was as attentive as usual. _So beautiful…_The raven-haired girl couldn't help but stare at his hair, sprawled out along the pillow, and she once more longed to brush it. The youkai prince was an existence that she couldn't comprehend. Even in sleep he held this regal, graceful look upon him that made Kagome quite sure there was no one else in the world that could hold quite as much mystery as he had proved to her. Beyond even Naraku and Kikyou, Kagome was positive that he was a man she would never be able to understand. With that last thought, and a few more seconds, the servant finally found the strength to pull her gaze away and slip from the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

The youkai prince opened his eyes just half-way, staring groggily at the point where his maid had just stood. He rolled over onto his otherwise, only half-attentive to what had been going on. Being a demon trained to be forever ready for trouble, Sesshoumaru had, of course, sensed the movement the moment his stupid servant had sat up in her bed. Nevertheless he was more exhausted than usual, and for the first time in a long time his head seemed empty of heavy burdens that he needed to think over. He felt almost calm, as if everything was in place, and decided that he would not let the mood go to waste. Almost immediately he slipped back into sleep, the image of his maid staring up into the starry sky etched in his mind.

~

Apparently it was too early, even for maids, being that the corridors and halls were altogether deserted, no one in sight. Even the cooks who had to wake earlier than most to prepare breakfast were still asleep. After changing into a clean outfit Kagome wandered around the halls, wondering where to go or what to do. She had no jobs to finish, nor anything to clean or anything to bring back to the room. _Well, I might as well get something accomplished…_

She twisted and turned down the now familiar halls, heading towards the kitchen. For some reason that Kagome never understood there was a narrow door next to the stove that led out into the forest. At first it had seemed ridiculous to her, being that animals could come in and steal food, but soon enough she began to realize that that might actually be the point. She had never bothered to ask what she was eating, because deep down she knew that she was better off clueless. Even though the sun had just peeked over the horizon the dawn air was still cold, and dew was collecting on the grass, forcing Kagome to pull off her socks as she stepped outside. A little off from the door, closely tucked to the side of the castle, there was a little garden that no one seemed to pay any mind to. It wasn't a garden in the sense that it was grown by a caretaker; in fact, youkai showed very little concern when it came to beautiful wildlife. It appeared to be growing there just by chance, but as far as variety in foliage came it could well have been put there for the goal of beauty. There were hundreds of lovely colored and scented flowers that were paid no mind as far as Kagome saw. So, very carefully, she kneeled down next to a particular patch of white-petaled flora that closely resembled small lilies, and began to pick them gently. After the first one she looked around, and seeing that no one minded and nothing happened, she continued.

With a medium-sized bundle of white flowers embraced in her arms, Kagome quickly shuffled through the kitchen, receiving a few looks from the still-drowsy servants who had just come down for work. She hurried as quickly as possible through the halls, some part of her worried that she would be punished for picking the foliage outside the castle, even though she had previously checked numerous times to see that no one paid the small garden any mind. 

When she reached Sesshoumaru's room once again, she very cautiously nudged the door open just slightly, waiting to hear any reaction. She didn't receive one, and taking that as a sign that Sesshoumaru was either still asleep or gone, she boldly moved into the room. The bed was empty, temporarily causing panic to strike through Kagome's heart as she clutched the flowers closer to her. However, much to her relief, she heard water beginning to rush into the bathtub, and realized that Sesshoumaru must have just woken up. 

She tiptoed over to the cabinet next to her master's desk, leaning up and searching through it for any sort of larger glass where she could put the flowers. Finding a glass pitcher that, while not as fancy as Kagome had hoped, fit the foliage nicely, Kagome made a show of arranging the white lilies as perfectly as possible. After she was satisfied with the way they looked in the glass, Kagome went about deciding where it would be best to place the beauties. She knew it would be too much of a risk to place it on Sesshoumaru's desk, where he could claim that it disrupted his work, but there were still many surfaces in the room that she could skillfully decorate. On each side of his bed, for example, there were two small tables that had always bothered her in their blandness. They were carved beautifully from wood, but so out of use that if it hadn't been for all the meaningless cleaning she did the surfaces would be completely engulfed in dust. _Perfect! _

After careful contemplation of which side to place the vase on Kagome finally managed to decide on the left, closer to the window and therefore adding a little bit more life in the farther side of the room. Very carefully she placed the pitcher gently down onto the wood table, standing back to review her work. _Amazing what a little bit of flowers can do the make a room look more full…_She grinned happily, proud of her work. The room really did seem much less empty. _Although, that could just be me, being that I'm forced to spend every one of my godforsaken days staring at these blank, tedious walls…_

"Now what are you doing?" Sesshoumaru stood leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom, eyebrow raised at his ridiculous human maid who seemed to be staring blankly at his bedside table. 

As always, Kagome couldn't help but give a little jump, as she usually did when she heard his voice when not expecting it. "Oh…well…I just thought I'd liven Lord Sesshoumaru-sama's room up a little!"

With a look of mild interest on his face Sesshoumaru stepped out from the bathroom, hair wet but fully dressed, and he glanced to the side to see what it was his servant was staring at. 

There was a moment of silence as the youkai prince stared indifferently at the flowers, causing Kagome to shift uncomfortably, waiting for him to make some cruel, rude comment about how much of a stupid human she was. _Oh well…_she sighed, closely examining the look on his face. _I tried…_

"Human…" He began, realizing for the first time that she didn't flinch at the label. "Where did you get these?"

All Kagome could do was stutter, being that she had already pulled a completely different answer to a completely different question onto her tongue. "W-w-w-what…? Oh…oh! The flowers! I got them…outside the castle…"

Sesshoumaru gave her an amused look. "As that is typically where flowers tend to exist, outside."

Instinctively Kagome could feel her face grow hot, lowering her head in embarrassment. "Yes…of course…I just meant…"

"Human, there are a wide arrange of things I want you to get done today. I as well have no time to dawdle around and listen to your mindless idiocy." His voice was cold and direct, cutting through her shame and shattering any trivial worries she had about the flowers.

"…Things you want me to get done?"

The youkai prince looked down at her, in both the physical and mental sense of the phrase, eyebrows lowering a little as if he were staring down at a young child. "When you speak to me you will use 'Lord Sesshoumaru-sama'."

The warm feelings Kagome had been holding for her stoic master were cracking even further. She tensed up, anger being to course through her. "Of course, _Lord Sesshoumaru-sama._"

Sesshoumaru inwardly smirked to himself, feeling triumphant. It was that look of horror on his maid's pretty young face that he had been waiting for. "Much better. Now," he strode calmly to the mirror, picking up his brush and twirling it idly around in his fingers. "today you will be scrubbing my floors."

Kagome inspected his face as closely as possible, looking at any hint to what he was thinking, but it was no use. His voice and expression were as indifferent and cold as ever, showing no signs of anything at all. _Oh well, if it's only his room…_

Sesshoumaru glanced back at her, placing the brush back down onto the desk. "ALL of my floors."

_All of his floors…?_ Kagome repeated that in her mind, wondering why he had put so much emphasis on the word 'all.' What did he mean? _All of his floors, as in…_ "Don't look so dumb, human."

There was something in Sesshoumaru's look that filled Kagome's chest with foreboding. Something told her that this wouldn't be his usual meaningless busywork. This would be on a much, much different scale. "Of course I mean all the floors on this side of the castle. MY side of the castle. All three floors, done before dinner."

~

This truly was more work than Kagome believed she could handle. It was also one of the most ridiculous things she had ever heard; even coming from Sesshoumaru it sounded farfetched. Without ever seeing the castle, without ever wandering the endless halls, it would seem like a simple job. At least 10 hours to complete a little scrubbing, that doesn't sound so hard, does it? 

But this was much more than a little scrubbing. Sesshoumaru's 'side of the castle' was quite literally all the corridors that were to the left of the building, rather than to the right. The right side was referred to as 'Inuyasha's side of the castle,' even though their father and Naraku were the only ones with real power over any of it. As was mentioned before, the castle wasn't the largest one in existence, and it was only five floors tall, much smaller than some of the ten-story tall wonders in the other far corners of the world. Nevertheless, it was wider than any building Kagome had ever known, and the halls became thin and dark in so many places that it was easy to get lost in the maze-like structure. That was just counting Sesshoumaru's 'property.' One floor, perhaps she could get it done in the time provided for her, considering she did each 100 ft by 6 ft stretch of corridors in an hour each. 

But this was not one floor that she had to do. This was three. Three floors, all with approximately equal areas that she would have to scrub, with the exception of the bit of kitchen the cut into the first floor. The worst part was that the floors actually were in good need of cleaning. However, most lords were much too busy with their own problems to have their maids wasting times in the halls that didn't even belong to them. No one seemed to care about the all-around good looks of the building, not unless someone of extreme importance was due to pay a visit. But even then it was necessary for dozens of maids and servants to be put into place, just to finish the complete first level, as Kagome had heard from Sango, who had told her earlier that it was one of the most miserable tasks she had ever had to do. Kagome knew she'd have to do it well, too, if it was Sesshoumaru who was going to be looking over her work. More for her own pride over his actual reaction to what would happen if she didn't complete it in the time given to her. 

_Why is he doing this…? _Kagome stared down the first stretch of hall that she had chosen, eyes narrowed in anger. _What does he plan to accomplish by giving me jobs he knows I can't complete? What does he expect me to do? Surely he can't really think I can…_Her eyes widened in realization. _That's right. He doesn't think I can do it. He's waiting for me to fail. He's giving me these jobs, waiting for me to screw up. _Kagome dropped the bucket of water and soap she had just gotten to the ground, rolling up her sleeves and dress quickly. _I'll show him…I'll scrub until my fingernails bleed…I won't give him any more reasons to have me beheaded. _Hunching over, Kagome pulled the soaking rag from the bucket of water, rubbing it with soap before sloshing it down onto the ground. _Just you wait, Sesshoumaru…_She rubbed the sopping piece of cloth quickly and strongly onto the ground, moving in large circles to cover as much area as she could in the smallest amount of time. It would tire her muscles out, and she knew it, but for this once she'd just have to bear the fatigue. All she had to do was keep her mind on her youkai lord, and the look he'd have on his face when he realized she had done the impossible. 

~

It had been at least five hours, and Kagome was absolutely exhausted. She had just worked harder and more vigorously on those floors than she had ever worked on anything in her life. Her knees were so sore and worn out that they were actually beginning to bruise and bleed. Not badly, mind you, but enough to force her to tie spare rags to her legs so that the drops of blood didn't fall onto her beautifully cleaned floors. She was just nearly done with the third floor, the one on which Sesshoumaru resided, her head pounding and her muscles screaming for a break. She had been and still was working non-stop, no breaks, with all the energy she could muster, and she planned to continue this way until she was dead or until the job was done, whichever happened first. Still, she was finding it harder and harder to ignore the soreness in her muscles, and she wouldn't have been surprised if her arms fell off at the joints. 

Her mind set solely and only on Sesshoumaru, Kagome continued on until she felt her head bump against the wall, a sign that her work on this level was finally completed. She breathed out a sigh of relief, standing and looking back at the job she had done. It had turned out even better than she hoped; the same as if she had spent an hour on the hall as of opposed to the half-hour it took. _Hah!…Even if that's not it, I wonder what Sesshoumaru will say to it? _She was simply ecstatic, having a newfound energy in the knowledge that this wasn't all for naught, and she rushed happily down the stairs to the second level; the new goal. Even though the castle itself was five stories high, the two-story difference was concentrated in the middle of the castle, so that it wasn't thought of as either Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru territory. The fourth level was Inutaisho's personal quarters and offices, while the fifth even smaller story was reserved solely for Naraku.

The young dark-haired maid substituted for the silence by humming cheerily as she continued her work right near the staircase of the second floor. She had gotten quite a few looks from passing servants, who she had greeted with a smile rather than waving, being that she feared that if she paused from her work for even a moment she wouldn't be able to get started again. One of the most bothersome things about getting anything accomplished was the hood that she was required to wear, being that it always fell over her face so that she could barely see what she was doing. Also, it just seemed to add onto the growing weight on her back that was slowly becoming sore due to her hunched position for the past five hours.

…

Kagome's humming rang along the halls, preventing her from hearing or noticing anything else around her. It wasn't until she heard a loud crash, followed by a quickly moving wet feeling at her knees and on her exposed arms that her peaceful and single-minded determination was broken. 

Surprised, the raven-haired maid swiftly turned her body, staring down at a figure sprawled out along the ground whimpering. "Rin-chan!" Kagome gasped, dropping the rag and sliding over to Rin, whose eyes were slowly beginning to brim with tears due to some sort of injury she had sustained to her elbow. 

"Rin-chan, what happened?!" 

The young child sniffled a little, looking up at Kagome, obviously on the verge of sobbing. "I, I was looking f-for Sesshoumaru-s-sama…" her voice was filled with hiccups, showing to Kagome that it was more the shock of the fall than the actual pain that had gotten Rin upset, "And I was r-running up for h-his room…and…I didn't see the water..a-and it was slippery…and I tripped, and I fell on my elbow…a-and it really hurts…"

Kagome frowned sympathetically down at her, carefully standing and holding her hand out. "Come on, I'll bring you to the doctor…" Before Kagome had even got her whole sentence out Rin was back on her feet, shaking her head vigorously. "No! I don't need your help…I'm going to go help Sesshoumaru-sama…" She pouted cutely, stomping past Kagome and putting on as big of a show as possible. "It doesn't matter if it hurts, since I'M Sesshoumaru-sama's maid…not you…"

With that the young child marched away, stumbling every now and then until she turned around the corner, heading for the stairs that lead up to the third floor. Kagome sighed inwardly, wishing she didn't have this sort of relationship with the child. She was an adorable, sweet, intelligent little girl who had more motivation than most children of her age possessed…Unfortunately all she seemed to care about was Sesshoumaru and Jaken, and because of that Kagome knew it would be hard to form any sort of bond with her as long as she was occupying the job the girl had grown up for.  

_I can't worry about that…_She thought suddenly, kneeling back down next to her scrubbing materials. _I've wasted far too much time already…Like Rin-chan, I have a goal too! …Even though this is progressively looking more and more impossible…_

She sighed, looking down at the water-soaked ground. Now she'd have to rush back downstairs to fill up the bucket again, and that would cost her at least five more minutes. Along with the whole Rin episode, she had lost at least 10 minutes of precious time. Her dress had gotten soaked at the hem as well, and the towels tied around her knees were worn and ready to fall off. _What am I going to do now…? Well, no need going to get anymore water right now, when there's plenty of it already in place…_

So, as cheerily as possible, Kagome returned to her work, now just having to deal with the water being already out of the bucket as of opposed to being in it. It wasn't that much of a difference, and there were even some aspects of it helpful to her. For example, she didn't need to reach back every few minutes to re-wet her rag. However, on the downside, there was far more water than she needed and the stones were becoming slippery, making it dangerous for people who were hurrying by. It was just as key to make sure the floor was dry after it was cleaned, since it was another point that Sesshoumaru would undoubtedly look into. 

Going back to humming, the tired maid momentarily allowed her mind to wander onto things other than Sesshoumaru and Naraku. This was the perfect moment for her to do something she hadn't done in a long time; something to pass the time more quickly as she worked: daydreaming. Almost unconsciously Kagome became lost in her own images and the work she was performing becoming a mechanical job that she no longer had to think about. Suddenly she was back home at her family's small shrine, stepping into the doorway and waiting for her mother and brother to come out and greet her. Souta, looking the same as ever, rushed from the narrow hallway and wrapped his tiny arms around Kagome, laughing and babbling on about what he had done in her time away from home, and how much he missed her. Out of nowhere her mother appeared before her, tears streaming down her face as she embraced Kagome, telling her how worried she had been and how she was afraid she'd never get to see each other again. 

The fantasy world continued on like that for a few minutes, Kagome bonding and sitting down for some tea with her family, laughing and crying over what had happened in the time they had spent apart. Unfortunately, an unwanted figure made it's way into Kagome's own personal paradise before she could fully appreciate the wonders of her imagination.

"Human."

Sesshoumaru stared down curiously at his maid, who was wearing a foggy and filmy expression as if some spirit possessed her. He had been standing there for at least a minute before saying anything, annoyed by the girl's oblivion to the world around her. She looked perfectly out of it, staring down at the ground in front of her with an empty and almost sleepy expression. To his further displeasure, his first attempt to shake her out of her mind had failed.

"_Human_."

She heard the voice coming from behind her, as if someone stood over her sitting figure even as she continued to drink her imaginary tea. Turning casually, without any emotion other than annoyance at being bothered from reminiscing with her family, she moved her eyes up to the intruder. That's when everything around her popped like a bubble, and before she knew it she was back on her knees, rag in hand, back as sore as ever and muscles throbbing. Even worse, the one surveying her was her own master, the last person who she'd want to see her this way. _Not that I should be surprised…_

Sesshoumaru appeared unnerved by the indifferent look she concentrated on him for those few brief moments, but was in reality almost upset by it. He didn't like it; he didn't like the way she showed such little reaction to his presence. The most amusing fact about the girl was always her ability to overreact to everything that happened to her; be it through fear or happiness or anger. That's why he had planned all of this; because some part of him was always calmed by the way he could prod at her emotions so easily.

"Is there something wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?" The words had left Kagome's mouth before she remembered to coat them over with fake sweetness, something she knew always got to the youkai prince. Instead, the question had just come out plain and sounding generally concerned. 

He raised an eyebrow down at her, as he always tended to do when she reacted in a way that he hadn't been wagering on. The empty expression was gone and replaced by one of confusion as she blinked up at him expectantly, the hood drooping over her eye and making her look incredibly childish. He had to resist the urge to grin.

"What are you doing down here? Did I not tell you to do the WHOLE of my areas, on all floors?"

Sesshoumaru smirked triumphantly as a look of anger shot across the girl's face, and she swiftly looked back to the ground, scrubbing vigorously as if venting out her anger rather than cleaning. "Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama. And I did. The third floor is completed, and as Lord Sesshoumaru-sama told me to do such, this humble servant has moved on to the next level. Is there something wrong with that?"

Any feelings of triumph he had just felt left him just as quickly as they had come. _Finished that whole floor…? But that's…_He examined her face closely before moving down to her hands and knees. It wasn't impossible; she did indeed look as if she had just done a whole floor's worth of heavy scrubbing. The rags on her knees were often on the knees of the others when the cleaning had come to such a point that their skin had actually opened and bled. Her fingers as well were white and pruny, so wet and soapy that it looked to be peeling in some places. 

Sesshoumaru kept his expression as controlled as he could, restraining from opening his mouth so as not to give her the pleasure to know he was surprised. He watched silently as Kagome suddenly stretched back from her hunched position, stood up, and violently grabbed the now empty bucket into her arms. As if ignoring that he was actually there she continued on with her routine, pulling off the towels from around her knees and tossing them onto the floor nonchalantly. She turned to him, ready to march down to get more water, only stopping to recognize that he was still standing there when she was just barely a foot in front of the man. "Is there something else Lord Sesshoumaru-sama needs?"

There was a long pause, their eyes meeting and competing for control. Neither would back down, even though Kagome had the obvious disadvantage. Sesshoumaru was at least a foot taller than she, and they both knew that for a maid to meet the gaze of her master head on was punishable by many sorts of death. Along with that, there was just something about Sesshoumaru's piercing glare that made Kagome feel weak and insignificant, and she was quite sure she didn't have the same effect back on him. "Well…then…"

She stuttered some, momentarily letting her confidence falter, eyes flitting to the side. "I guess I'll get back to work." She pulled the hood close down over her face as she strode past him, waiting for him to stop her or attack her or yell out to her or anything like that. However, he remained silent and immobile, allowing for her to slip away without incident.

~

Kagome was surprised to see that Sesshoumaru was still waiting in the hall upon her return, looking at her blandly. Worried, she swallowed hard, clutching the now full bucket to her chest, causing some water to splash up against her collar. _What…what is with him? _

Seeing the look of pleasure that crossed the youkai lord's face as she faltered slightly in her step, Kagome straightened up and vowed not to let his presence bother her anymore. She had work to do; she couldn't forget her strict time limit. So, with her head held up high, Kagome waltzed forward without even looking down, confident in her own ability to show Sesshoumaru up. 

However, in her efforts to appear collected, Kagome had forgotten one very important thing. The floor in front of her was still soapy from when she had been scrubbing, making it extremely slippery. As soon as her foot rested down on one of the wet stones she realized her mistake, but it was too late. Before she could stop herself her weight rested down on that very leg, causing it to glide out from under her as her body leaned forward, and out of instinct she threw the bucket of water out of her arms as to be able to cushion herself as she hit the ground. There was a loud crash and Kagome heard water splashing everywhere, her face burning in embarrassment the moment she realized what had just happened.

She looked up, expecting her master to be looking down at her with that same intimidating look he always had when she did something stupid, only to be very unpleasantly surprised. He was, as she had guessed, looking down at her, but he didn't appear very intimidating. The bucket lay to the side of him, his face and bangs soaking wet, droplets falling to the ground every second. Had this situation not been so dangerous, Kagome would have laughed at how much he resembled a very wet dog. His shoulders and the front of his robes were soaked as well, not surprisingly, and he had an almost confused look on his face. At least, as confused as Sesshoumaru ever got.

Kagome winced, kneeling there on the ground otherwise motionless, unable to pull her eyes away from her sopping master. Very slowly his expression changed from confused, to surprised, to downright pissed.  "Sesshoumaru-sama, I…"

The youkai lord bared his fangs, eyes narrowing just slightly. "You stupid…ridiculous…clumsy little…"

"Sesshoumaru! What's going on?!"

Both Sesshoumaru's and Kagome's head swung to the side, eyes focusing on the distraction that the unfortunate maid was very thankful for. "Inuyasha…" Kagome muttered, letting out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. _I don't know how he always manages to be around when I need him most, but…thank GOD for that…_

The hanyou opened his mouth to speak again, but was stopped when his gaze finally rested on Sesshoumaru. Kagome watched horrified as Inuyasha began laughing without restraint at his elder brother, absolutely losing all control. _It's…it's not that funny…! _

Sesshoumaru's lips curled back in disapproval of his younger brother, although looking considerably less threatening with his stringy bangs and with water still dripping down his chin. Kagome frowned at her master's silence, fear and worry beginning to build in her chest. "Inuyasha…stop…"

The order had come out as a low hiss, and on command the hanyou stopped his snickering. He looked over to Kagome, who was returning his gaze with ten times the intensity. Sesshoumaru as well had lowered his head to look down at Kagome, the upset look leaving his face in a second, leaving only the emotionless mask that he had become accustomed to. 

The silence dragged onwards (as it tended to do whenever Kagome was around either Inuyasha or his older brother, she noted) without interruption, Kagome's hard stare never wavering. Finally Inuyasha swung his head to the side, glaring at the wall. "Feh! I don't know what you're so worried about…Just because Sesshoumaru looks like a wet ro-…"

"Inuyasha."

He flinched, looking back at her. If possible her look had hardened even more, eyes burning with intensity. 

"Feh!" With that the hanyou turned on his heel and stomped away, shoulders sagging as he sulked off. Kagome kept her eyes on him until he turned around the corner, at which point the connection was broken. She let out a heavy sigh, staring down at the ground. _That man…the most random appearances…He just shows up on a whim, disappoints me, and then leaves just as quickly…Doesn't he have things to DO during the day…?_

Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, had yet to look away from Kagome. _That look…just now…_He scoffed, finally managing to move away from the girl, turning his back to her hunched figure. The maid recognized the movement and blinked, suddenly back into her senses. "Oh…!" She whirled around to face her master, mouth opening to speak.

"Get back to work."

She winced away from him, lips curving down into a hurt frown. "Sesshoumaru-sama…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to, really, I…"

But, before she could even finish, the youkai had made his way down the hall and around the corner, leaving her there to sit in a puddle of water with another empty bucket.

  
~

Sesshoumaru sat at his desk, deep in thought, face pressed down into his hands. He hadn't even bothered to dry himself, his mind too deep in turmoil to concentrate on anything. Whatever he had been doing before; wherever he had been going, it seemed meaningless to him now. He had no desire to do anything but sit there and wonder why he was so restless all of a sudden.

That girl was ending up to be more of a bother to him than a help. When he was around her he felt perfectly at rest; especially when she was upset or trying her best to act calm and collected when it was obvious that she was furious. In fact, he felt more comfortable around her than around nearly anyone else, something he tried to pin singularly on the sense of intelligence and she made him feel. Either way, there was no getting around the major fact: he had a hard time concentrating when she wasn't around. During the first portion of the day his mind continuously wandered back to how her progress must be going, and he found it exceedingly difficult to concentrate on his lessons. Three times he had drifted off during class, until the old man who was his teacher finally let him out early in fear that the youkai lord was becoming sick. After that Sesshoumaru spent his time in his room, trying to concentrate on something else, until Rin came bursting in with her elbow scratched up and legs dripping with water. 

As soon as Sesshoumaru had discovered that his own maid had been the source of the problem, he swiftly asked Rin to go and make him something to eat. It was a solid diversion to get her out of his way, since the child was absolutely horrid at cooking and would insist on trying herself until she had gotten everything just right. That wasn't to say Sesshoumaru ever disliked the child's presence; in fact, he himself had been the one to nurture the child in the castle. When Jaken and her were in his room, bumbling around and often ruining things, Sesshoumaru found he thought more clearly. For a long time they had been the only company he needed; he had never even thought about getting any other servants.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Very slowly and very casually, Sesshoumaru glanced up at the doorway. Not surprisingly, there was his maid, beads of sweat running down her forehead as she panted heavily. The youkai lord raised an eyebrow at her, apparently bored. It was hard to believe that the mature looking woman he had thought he saw in her just moments ago had reverted back into this clumsy child. _Yes…that look…_Momentarily, the expression his maid had had on her face as she glared at Inuyasha flashed back into Sesshoumaru's mind. He couldn't put his finger on it, but that look seemed very, very familiar to him.

Kagome raised a hand to her chest, heaving. She had just run back and forth, from one side of the castle to the other, as fast as her legs would take her. Gripped tightly in her free hand was a letter, and her knee was bleeding once more due to the scrubbing and the fall she had sustained earlier. 

"What is it?" Sesshoumaru looked her up and down once, a bit disgruntled to realize she had hurt herself.

The maid let out a deep breath, raising her head just slightly to look at Sesshoumaru at his level. "…I'm sorry."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, as Kagome had expected.

"Or…this humble servant is sorry…" She bowed just slightly, suddenly feeling very flustered. "What…happened before, I mean…It was an accident. I didn't mean to, I just slipped, and before I could even realize it, I…"

Again, Sesshoumaru remained silent, just staring at his servant with an utterly unreadable expression, as always.

"And…I…" She trailed off, growing more and more embarrassed under his heavy stare, quickly glancing back up to his face. "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama hasn't…dried off yet?"

Surprised, she blinked in succession a few times before suddenly rushing into the bathroom, coming out with a dry towel. "Here, let me…"

She reached out towards him, somewhat shocked but taking confidence in the fact that he didn't brush her hand off right away. Sesshoumaru as well was surprised in his lack of response, keeping his gaze loosely attached on the human's face, for some reason feeling completely safe even though he had been taught to react otherwise when someone tried to come too close.  

Just as the towel touched down onto his slightly damp cheek, Kagome found herself unable to move. _It's those damn eyes…! _She cursed silently to herself, having to will her hand from shaking. Even though she was mentally screaming at herself to look away, to do something, ANYTHING, her body felt locked in place, and she just couldn't bring herself to look away. Similarly, Sesshoumaru had yet to move or say something sarcastic; he just sat there, with the same expressionless look that border-lined thoughtful. Kagome had no idea what his reasons were, and was unpleasantly surprised by how much she found she actually cared.

Suddenly Kagome felt something warm against the back of her hand, and she flinched noticeably when she realized that somehow, without her knowing, her hand had pressed lightly against the skin of his cheek. This seemed to snap them both out of their thoughts, Kagome taking a step back as she hesitantly began wiping the water from her master's forehead, while Sesshoumaru just looked away as if something more interesting was going on at the opposite side of the room. Once Kagome had finished, totally in silence, she backed even further off from her master, turning to the bathroom to return the towel. The youkai made no movement at all, continuously staring off, deep in thought. 

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes the minute he sensed his maid disappear into the bathroom, running a hand back through his hair. _That stupid human…There's no way I can let her out of my sight now…_He let out a deep breath of air that could almost be considered a sigh, sitting up and glancing towards the doorway. She really was turning out to be a pain, and a small voice inside of him was continuously warning him to get rid of her now before she caused him any more trouble. After all, there was nothing wrong with feeling comfortable by just having some company, was there? _That's the only reason. I can't look too deeply into this._

"Sess-…Lord Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The youkai prince raised his gaze to the girl, an expectant look on his face.

"This letter…Kagura told me to get this and give it to you." She held it out to him, her gaze slightly to the side, never meeting him eye-to-eye. 

Sesshoumaru casually snatched the letter from her out-stretched hand, looking it over. Other than the simply written 'Sesshoumaru' on the front, there was no sign of whom it was from. He carefully tore the very top of the envelope open, pulling out the slip of paper delicately and unfolding it. Kagome watched on curiously as the youkai lord's gaze traveled across the sheet of paper, his eyes narrowing in annoyance about half-way through, although Kagome wasn't quite sure why. The thick silence was broken the minute he stood, his chair stuttering against the rug as it was pushed back, Sesshoumaru standing in one swift moment. Without a word he tossed the letter down onto his desk, gracefully striding to the door and stopping at the entrance. He turned back to his maid, looking her over for a few moments before brushing his hair back, lips slightly curved down in apparent annoyance. "Stay here."

Kagome nodded just barely, somewhat shocked as her lord and master disappeared down the hallway, leaving her standing there by the desk. Suddenly it occurred to her that he had left his letter in the room. Without a second thought she quickly snatched it up, reading over it quickly.

Dear Sesshoumaru-sama,

            It has been over a week since our last transaction, and I am writing only to inform you that our side of the deal should be completed within the month. I will contact you as soon as I have acquired the item I have promised you, and in return, I would hope that you take care of my property as well. We will exchange them when we meet again; I will speak to your father about some kind of get-together and I'm sure it could be easily arranged.

Sincerely, 

Kouga

(P.S. Please give my regards to the girl, and tell her I will be seeing her again soon.)

Kagome read it over once, and then twice, and then three times. _Kouga…_Gently placing the letter back down onto the desk, a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Questions about the 'deal', about her being Kouga's 'property', about what it was that Sesshoumaru was searching for…

She glanced worriedly over to the door, frowning just slightly. There was only one thing on her mind right now, and that one thing held the answer to all of her questions. She realized then that she couldn't be worried about Naraku or Kikyou or Inuyasha…No. Not when she had someone much more important to focus on.

Sesshoumaru… 

~

**Author's Note: **Oh people, I'm horrible, I know. This didn't get up nearly as soon as I wanted it to, since I've been redoing my room and everything's been all discombobulated. And I said that I'd get up a new chapter soon, and goddammit, I will. Don't you worry about it, it'll be up as quick as possible. I'll be going to Mori no Ike for a month, starting the 21, so it'll be important for me to write all I can in the time I have…Thank you so much for being patient, I PROMISE you, this will never happen again. I feel so guilty..I'm so sorry! 

If anyone would like me to e-mail them with updates (not trying to sound snobby by pretending my fic is that good, it's just that one girl asked) then just e-mail me at sunshine@chan.co.jp. I'll be happy to tell anyone when the new chapters are up, or update them about any long periods of time I'll have to go without writing. And everyone, thank you SO MUCH for your reviews. Thank you Ashley for your kind and inspiring e-mails. I think I just broke 120 reviews..Aaah..I NEVER imagined that it would get this far…^_^ It makes me so, so, so happy. I won't let you people down!

Oh yeah..And I REALIZE you want more fluff, I do. But it's only been a bit more than a week, I'm trying my best! Don't worry, more stuff will happen soon, involving Naraku and Kouga and Sesshoumaru and everyone. But, again, don't worry; I'll focus mainly on Sesshoumaru-Kagome, no matter where the subject is dragged to. A lot of people asked me about the Shikon no Tama and such..well..I might get it in there. It's not on my top list of priorities though. Kagome is supposed to be a simple maid who somehow gets someone as regal and important as Sesshoumaru through her 'personality', not through uber-duber miko powers. After I finish THIS fic I'm going to start a new Sess-Kag story where I fit that in, I promise. I'm sorry if I'm disappoint anyone, but…for now I just want Kagome to be human. I'll have her play major rolls and everything as far as Life Debt goes, but the whole mystical miko thing just seems a bit too farfetched in this…don't you think? Wow, my author's note is becoming longer than my story.

Well, bonbons, everyone! I love you, and thanks for your support.


	10. Chapter 10 Amaze You!

**Author's Note:** Finally! Bleh…Inuyasha and co. do not belong to me. None of it belongs to me. I don't even have a patent on the plot. …Sigh.

~

Sesshoumaru knocked tensely on the door to his father's office, absolutely furious. When there was no reply he only rapped even harder. 

"Yes, yes, come in." The deep, sleepy sounding voice finally came from within the confined room, and with that permission Sesshoumaru swiftly opened the door and slipped inside. 

"Oh, Sesshoumaru!" Inutaisho, looking as if he hadn't gotten any good sleep in months, sat up a little in his chair. "Just the man I wanted to see!"

The youkai son just stared blandly at his father, silently closing the door behind him. "There's something you wanted to see me about…?"

He hadn't been expecting that. He had come here for something from his father, but he knew better than to ask for favors before hearing the more important lord out. "Yes, well, I need you to get something for me."

"…Don't we have delivery boys for that?"

The older youkai sighed, staring at Sesshoumaru intently as he interlaced his large fingers. The demon's hair, while silver, was rough and unkempt like Inuyasha's. The only real physical similarity between the two were the same cold and expressionless eyes that they had both become famous for. "Aa. But, this is something much more important…I don't trust anyone else to get it for me. Besides, it won't be far."

He pushed his large chair back, standing up and strolling over to a wall of large shelves, stacked up as high as possible with thousands and thousands of documents. "But before I give you the particulars…There was something you wanted, wasn't there?"

Sesshoumaru followed his father with his eyes, glad to finally get down to business. "Yes…the original copy of the deal I made with Kouga, the leader of the wolf clan."

"Ah, yes…" The older youkai chuckled deep, looking up and down his impressive collection of important papers. "I remember that little dispute. I would imagine Inuyasha to get into a huff over such a small thing, but you…I must say I was quite surprised!"

"Even with that being the case, may I borrow it?" Sesshoumaru was becoming impatient with his father, whom he was feeling less and less respect for every passing day. 

"Of course, of course…" The higher lord trailed his fingers down one particular pile of papers, leafing through the corner of each before finally pulling out the desired document. "Here you are, my boy!"

He held it out to Sesshoumaru, who took it from him as quickly and curtly as possible. "Thank you." Immediately he turned away, strutting over to the door and only stopping when his father called out to him. "I'd like you to leave tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Come see me first, of course…"

Sesshoumaru nodded his head just slightly, quickly slipping out the door before he could be distracted once more. 

He swept down the hall as quickly as possible, the agreement gripped tightly in his hand. There was no doubt in his mind that his maid had already looked at the contents of the letter, but he wasn't sure whether any of it had registered in her mind. _But, if it was signed by Kouga, certainly she would…_

Kagome sat up the minute she saw Sesshoumaru appear in the doorway, suddenly very alert. "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He glanced over at her, showing no signs that he would pause and acknowledge her question. Without a word he sat himself down at his desk, laying the single, slightly aged piece of paper down onto the table as he began to examine it. Kagome watched him curiously, not sure whether she should say anything or not. More than anything else she yearned to ask him about the deal and about her part in it, but the look on his face when he had returned warned her against any types of interrogation. 

The youkai lord's eyes darted quickly over the paper in front of him, looking for any mention of the 'gift' that Kouga had given him; namely, the maid. He read swiftly yet carefully through the first paragraph, concentrating even on the tedious detail that was always associated with such documents. It said all about the reasons behind the deal, what he was owed, and when he was expected to get it, when suddenly he froze. 

            _…and with the elongated time period in mind, as in order to keep relationships between the two parties peaceful, a gift to the person whom is owed that specific item's choosing will be delivered to that individual to possess until the desired object is achieved by the opposite party, henceforth finishing the deal and…_

It went on like that for countless lines, but there was one key word in there that Sesshoumaru had never given a thought to before. _…to the individual to possess until…_Until. The youkai clenched his clawed fists tightly, eyes narrowing in distaste. Until. Until. How had he not noticed it before? It was written, in ink, that he possessed the item of his choosing only until Kouga had gotten what had been his original goal. That most obviously implied that when he met Kouga again, there would be an exchange. His maid traded in for…

"Sesshoumaru-sama…what is…?" Kagome looked at him hesitantly, slightly fearing the hard look that was now playing on her master's face. He had a way about him that always made him seem slightly upset, but this was to an extent that she had never seen before.

Sesshoumaru tensely turned his head to look at his maid, wordless. Looking at her concerned, somewhat clueless face, the youkai's chest seemed to tighten. Why did it matter so much to him whether he'd lose her or not? He couldn't forget…_In exchange, I'll receive my goal…_That was another important question. How could Kouga be so close to achieving something that he himself could not acquire? 

"Err…" Kagome shrank under Sesshoumaru's unwavering stare, growing more and more uncomfortable with every passing second. There was an emptiness in the look that showed his mind was on other things then what he was gazing at, but that only made her feel more jittery. She had been distracted lately, and forgot all about the mysterious deal that had ultimately stolen her life away. But, it was very apparent now, that there was something going on right in front of her face that she couldn't quite see or understand. 

"We'll be leaving tomorrow." The youkai lord's cold voice immediately cut the uncomfortable silence, seeming so loud to Kagome that she winced back even further.

"Going…?" She swallowed hard. "Going where?"

Sesshoumaru just shrugged, sauntering over to the bathroom door, slipping inside and shutting himself in without any further explanation. Kagome stood where she was, speechless, mouth slightly opened and knees buckling. _Why…?_

She allowed her shoulders to relax, sinking down into a sitting position and pressing her back against the bed. _Why won't ANYONE just tell me what's going on…?! _Perhaps she had no right barging into the business of Inuyasha, Kikyou, and Naraku, but by all means, this deal directly involved her and her presence at the castle she resided in now. She had a right to know what was going to happen to her…

Meticulously, the minutes ticked by, Sesshoumaru silent in the bathroom and Kagome silent in front of the bed. Frustrated to no bounds, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of a way she could get the information out of Sesshoumaru. He wasn't the kind of man you could trick, or coax…No, that wouldn't work. It would be next to impossible to get Sesshoumaru to talk to her…

Suddenly realization dawned on Kagome, her eyes snapping open in the wake of an epiphany. _No, not Sesshoumaru…There's someone else in this castle that's sure to know! _She sat up, placing her hands down onto the ground in preparation to rise to her feet. _Inuyasha!_

"Going somewhere, wench?" Had this not happened so many times, Kagome would have been shaken up by her lord's unexpected appearance. However, it had happened a countless number of times, and Kagome had had the foresight to think ahead.

"The bucket and rags! I just…I mean…This humble servant just realized that she left it in the middle of the floor! This humble servant has to finish cleaning, isn't that right?"

"Do you take me for a fool?" Sesshoumaru strutted over to his desk, grasping the letter that had arrived earlier protectively and stuffing it into a drawer. Kagome was, this time, indeed very shocked with her master's mood. She had never seen him so tense or readable before, and she was reasonably frightened that his bitter disposition was somehow due to something she had done. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that the packet of papers he had brought in earlier were still clutched in his hand, and it appeared to her that they had been there the whole time. Next to that, his hair wasn't wet, and his clothes were the same…Now, given, there are other things one can do in a bathroom, but he had spent nearly half an hour in there. _What was he doing…?_ Unable to take his painfully direct stare any longer, Kagome looked to the side. She had almost forgotten what position she was in. 

"A…a fool? No, of course not, this humble servant would never…"

"You know well that you could not conceivably wash those floors in a day, so stop babbling on like a fool as if you actually plan on finishing." The words themselves weren't much harsher than anything else he ever said to her, it was just the way he said it. And the way he said it struck her hard. 

She opened her mouth to speak, to apologize, to do anything, but she found her throat frozen. Her face grew red in embarrassment. She had never felt more foolish and childish in her life.

"Go, then." His voice was calm again, and when Kagome dared glance back, he was looking out the window. 

Finding it difficult to speak, never mind move, the maid stayed motionless.

"Didn't you hear me? Go. If you're so diligent, then, don't you dare come back until you do have all the floors completed."

Kagome took a step back, but not because she was preparing to leave. It was like he was somehow pushing her away with his hurtful tone. 

"I will only say it one more time." His voice had lowered dangerously. "Go."

Unable to respond, Kagome diverted her eyes to the ground, pausing for a moment before she did the only thing she could do. She left.

Sesshoumaru's eyebrows lowered in distaste as he saw her form slip behind the doorframe, almost immediately collapsing down into his chair. That was the first time he had ever done anything with an aim purely to hurt her. True, he had done things that had hurt her before, but they had all been for the goal of his own pleasure and amusement. This, however, gave him absolutely no pleasure. The look on her face before she stumbled off…Yes, this was the first time he wished she wasn't always so easy to read.

Slowly, the youkai prince raised his hand up to his temples. "…Feh."

~

"Inuyasha!" Kagome knocked roughly on the door to his room, extremely impatient.

…Silence. There was no response.

"INUYASHA! Open this door RIGHT NOW!" She pounded even harder, not caring whether anyone could hear her. She was just not in the mood.

Finally, she heard something behind the thick door very similar to angry grumbling. With a click and a creak, the door swung open, revealing a very groggy and poorly dressed Inuyasha. "What do you…wench?" The hanyou blinked in recognition, using the insult as if it were the name given to her at birth. And indeed, it did seem as if she were perpetually wearing a nametag saying 'wench' on it.

Kagome shoved past him, into his room and shutting the door quickly behind her. "The deal between Sesshoumaru and Kouga, what do you know about it? You must know something! You were the one who picked me up that day!"

Inuyasha had an absolutely lost and blank expression on his face. It was as if he were looking at someone with ten heads. "…What?"

The poor maid was at the point where she was ready to rip her hair right from her head. "The deal! With me! Being captured! And Kouga! Being given to Sesshoumaru! Being kidnapped from my home, you empty-headed foul-mannered twit!"

The hanyou shrunk away from her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open a little. "Wh-what are you yelling at me for?!"

"Just tell me!" It was a genuine plea now, Kagome grasping her hands together.

"The deal…the deal…uh…" Inuyasha pressed a clawed hand to his forehead, trying to think. "I don't know that much about it…All I know is that Kouga is the leader of the wolf-clan…and…er…I think Sesshoumaru didn't kill him or something, on the terms that he got him something."

"Something…?" Kagome stepped forward to the hanyou, totally ignoring the uncomfortable look on his face. "What was that something?!"

Inuyasha stepped away from her at the same pace as she was approaching, obviously very frightened. "I don't know! All I know is Sesshoumaru was livid when he found out he couldn't get it immediately…so I was sent to wolf-breath's house to get you and bring you back…Why, I don't know…Why do you want to know, anyway?!"

Kagome uttered a curse, turning to the side and biting onto the nail of her thumb. "I already knew that!" She glanced back at Inuyasha, eyes narrowed. "You're sure you don't know why Kouga chose me? Why I had to be kidnapped? What it is Sesshoumaru wants?"

Inuyasha could do nothing but shake his head. "No…But, what do you mean, kidnapped?"

"Why do you think I was so banged up when you came to get me?" Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of her master's younger brother, Kagome headed towards the door. 

"Y-you mean you were kidnapped?! You…you weren't an actual maid?!" Inuyasha looked genuinely shocked, somewhat surprising Kagome. _I guess it's not a normal occurrence…_

"Of course not…" The raven-haired girl gave him a curious sort of look. "Couldn't you tell? I fell off a cliff when he was chasing me…He saved my life after that…that's why I agreed to come along so obediently." 

"But…"

Kagome shook her head, raising a hand into the air quickly. "No time for talk! No time! Do you know anyone else who may know about the deal…?!"

"No, I don't, even the maids don't know about it…it was kept under wraps…The only people who know are Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and dad, I'd guess…" Inuyasha took a few hurried steps after the girl as he saw her preparing to leave. "Wait!"

"No time to talk!" Kagome yanked the door open violently, slipping away as fast as she could.

"Raven…Raven! Oi!" The hanyou rushed to the door, watching her figure shrink as she hurried down the hall. "Where are you going?!"

~

Kagome stood over the stationary bucket of water and rag that was on the floor in front of her, shoulders heaving up and down due to her tired, heavy breathing. She had no idea what she was doing. _Inuyasha didn't know…_Stumbling to the side, she let herself rest against the wall and slide to the ground. Before arriving, she had all intentions in the world to finish the scrubbing as fast as she could so she could return to Sesshoumaru, but…Now, she just didn't see the point.

_What will I be returning to? Something…something has happened that I don't understand, and no one will ever tell me…_Like a helpless child, she pulled her knees up to her chest, diverting her eyes to the side. _Sesshoumaru…he must really hate me now. What does it matter, though?_ Kagome sighed, letting her arms fall limp to the side as she straightened her legs out. 

_Kouga will be here to pick me up soon…Whatever happens to me then…_She almost laughed at her situation, closing her eyes. She remembered what Kouga had said that day she was brought to this castle. It seemed like years ago, even though it had only been a few weeks. _He said I'll become 'his woman'…His woman! Can you believe it? _She desperately wanted to find humor out of the idea, but at the moment her heart was much too bitter. It wasn't as strange as it had first sounded. She already was someone's woman…Someone's human, to be exact, and she was reminded of it at every corner. The stone walls…the strict rules…the hood covering her face, and the ban covering her identity. This whole place was a constant reminder to her that she was no longer allowed to be 'Kagome.' She could only go by clever nicknames given to her by other unfortunate women, most of who had already been broken by too many years of this mental seclusion. 

_I think I'm going insane…_Images of Souta and her mother appeared in front of her, almost as if a painting was being held up a few inches away from her face. As had become accustomed to her in the past few weeks, Kagome raised a hand to her collar, taking out the coins that resided there and rolled them around in her palm. Her situation had never seemed more bleak or helpless to her, and she didn't think she'd be able to bring herself to clean. She could barely even bring herself to open her eyes.

"If you sit there much longer, you'll get even sicker than you already are."

Kagome started into a more erect sitting position, her eyes snapping open in surprise. She didn't often hear that voice, but it was unique enough that she had no problems tracing it to its owner. "Kanna…?"

The desperate dark-haired girl stared up at the newcomer, startled more than anything else. Rarely did she ever see Kanna, and when she did, it certainly wasn't out in the halls. "What…are you doing here?" Trying to brush her undoubtedly pathetic looking appearance off as nothing, Kagome raised a hand to her forehead to wipe the sweat off. "I was just…"

"You need to sleep." Kanna's strangely empty and unwavering eyes looked right through Kagome. "Or at least eat something."

Speechless, Kagome just looked at the girl, her eyes wide and questioning. Kanna looked like some sort of strange apparition, with her pale white skin and hair. Everything about her was so clear and watery it seemed as if she would dissolve into mist at any moment. Suddenly, Kagome remembered. "Kanna…"

She leaned forward, blinking tears from her eyes. "That day…in the Gospela…"

The expressionless child did and said nothing. She just stared, in that void way of hers. 

"Please, Kanna…Why? Why are you and Naraku still here?"

As she said it, Kagome realized how simple and incomprehensible the question must have sounded, but she trusted that Kanna would understand. 

There was no spark of surprise, recognition, anger, or anything else in Kanna's eyes. She was beyond expressionless; she was a strange, moving doll. _Is this Naraku's doing…?_ For some reason, a sense of pity washed over the dark-haired maid, and her heart reached out for the child. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted before she could say a word.

"Go back to Sesshoumaru, Kagome. You don't belong here." And with that, she walked off, her steps and movements so light that nothing but Kagome's own heavy breathing could be heard.

She was absolutely stunned. _Go back to Sesshoumaru, Kagome. You don't belong here. _Kagome. Kanna knew she was Kagome. _But, how…? _How Kanna and Kagura came to exist, why Kikyou was under Naraku's control, how they still lived even in death…Kagome's own feelings confused her to no extent. She wanted to know, of course, but all logic and reason she had warned her against it. _You don't belong here. _Those words rang through her head over and over as she sat silently in the quickly darkening room. Somehow, Kagome knew that Kanna hadn't meant she didn't belong in the hallway. But, she could figure some of it out on her own. She knew where she needed to be. __

~

The white curtains swayed somewhat in the cool wind, and yet Sesshoumaru refused to shut the windows. It would just feel too stuffy if he did it, and the last thing he wanted right now was to feel smothered. He had long since given up on working, not that he had much of it to do, and had settled to sitting motionless on his bed. Everything in the room reminded him of the girl, and more than depress him it just angered him. Since she had left, the youkai prince had managed to think of a thousand reasons to be angry with the girl, and a thousand more to want to get rid of her. He had successfully convinced himself that the inevitable meeting with Kouga was a good thing, and that he should no longer go out of his way to do anything for the maid. It would be best, he concluded, to just ignore her presence altogether. 

Going even deeper, he had decided that there was only one thing worthwhile the girl had ever done for him. And that was the flowers sitting on his tabletop. He ran his finger down the stem of one carefully, having pulled it from the glass and now holding it gently in his hands. It wasn't really for their beauty, either, those sort of things didn't mean much to him. It was more the beautiful smell that had helped him into his sleep since the time they had been brought into his room.

Without warning Sesshoumaru stood, dropping the flower back into the vase and staring expectedly at the door. His ears twitched slightly with the recognition of his maid's presence, anger once more rising in him. He watched the door excruciatingly close, watching as the knob turned, and…

"SESSHOUMARU-SAMA~!" Rin burst into his bedroom, heading at him at a surprisingly quick pace. Instinctively, the youkai prince placed a hand on her head to stop her, eyes narrowing.

"Rin? What are you doing here?" As always, his voice remained calm and controlled, even through his amazement.

"I came to see Sesshoumaru-sama, of course!" She giggled happily, the gap in her teeth showing as she smiled up at the youkai. "I managed to escape from Jaken-sama!"

_How is that? She was there…I know she was…_ "Rin, was anyone else in the hall when you came in?"

The young girl looked up at him, the look of happiness turning into one of confusion. "No…Are you expecting someone?"

Sesshoumaru glanced to the door, remaining silent for a few moments before he strolled calmly back over to his bed, looking out the window. "Rin-chan. Lock the door."

Confused, but obedient as always, Rin skipped over to the door and clicked the lock across, turning back to her master as soon as she was done. "Is there something wrong?"

Appearing bored, Sesshoumaru looked over to the child. "Rin. You want to be my maid, right?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically, nearly hopping up and down. "Of course!"

"Then sweep the floor."

~

Kagome cursed quietly to herself, her body stuffed into the small closet a few doors down from Sesshoumaru's room. She had hid in there when she heard Rin coming, and the minute she had been planning to come out she heard Sesshoumaru order Rin to lock her out. _This isn't going to work…But, I have to get in SOMEHOW…_

When she decided that it was safe to come out, Kagome very carefully and slowly opened the door, praying that she wouldn't make any noise. She doubted that it would matter if she made a little bit of noise, since the walls of Sesshoumaru's chambers were relatively thick, but her heart was beating like mad and she wasn't going to take any chances. With the door half open, enough room for her to squeeze out, she made her move. As quickly as possible she pushed herself through the opening, stumbling to a stable position the second she was clear from the closet. Unfortunately, she had failed to notice that the numerous brooms and buckets cluttering the small space had been leaning against her during her short occupation there, and once she had left they had proceeded to scatter across the ground with a loud clatter. 

She clasped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from cursing out loud, eyes wide in horror. _Oh, SHIT! _

~

Both Rin and Sesshoumaru stopped what they were doing and turned to the door the minute they heard the commotion outside. After a few seconds, when the clattering had died down, Rin turned to look up at the youkai prince, a questioning look on her face. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what was that?"

Sesshoumaru was obviously wondering the same thing, because as soon as the question had been asked he walked to the door, unlocked it, and swiftly pulled it open. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but what he saw wasn't it. Down the hall to the right some, brooms, buckets and cleaning trays were scattered all across the ground, with absolutely no one in sight. _What the…? _Curiously, he made his way over to the pile of cleaning tools, analyzing the mess before looking into the empty closet. Obviously, it was vacant of items now, but he could see that at one point there had been someone hiding…someone being…_It was her! _He bared his fangs menacingly, but at what, he wasn't sure. As quickly as the revelation hit him he stormed across the hall, looking down all possible corridors to see where his renegade maid had gone off to.

Rin hopped to the door, a broom clutched in her hand, watching Sesshoumaru appear and disappear from door to door and corridor to corridor, immensely curious to just what it was he was searching for. She had noticed that, lately, he had been acting very, very differently than usual.

"Kyuh…"

Startled by the sudden noise, Rin turned, the broom dropping from her hands. A forearm could be seen clinging onto the windowsill, and grumbling could be heard. Fear and curiosity battled it out in Rin's mind, before curiosity naturally won, and she cautiously made her way over to the wide-open window. "H-hello…?"

"Rin-chan?" The voice coming from outside was strained and high, to an extent that Rin couldn't decipher who it was. That is, not until Kagome's head popped into view, teeth gritted as she tried to pull her body up by only her arms, her face bright red from effort.

"Kyaah…How did I ever do this before…?" She managed to get her elbow onto the sill, grasping on to the corner to be able to hoist herself up.

"Raven-chan…?" Rin took a few steps towards her, the fear totally gone. "What…what are you doing?"

"Rin-chan…" Kagome gasped, resting her chin against the surface of the opening as her other hand managed to find a grip on the windowsill. "Sesshoumaru's n-not there…oof…right?"

The young girl shook her head. "No, but…"

"Thank god…" The raven-haired maid had finally managed to get her torso up onto the surface of the window, her stomach horizontal on the ledge and her legs still dangling outside, looking rather ridiculous. "Because if he wa-AH!"

The second Kagome had looked up to address Rin, she saw a very familiar figure towering behind the child, looking at her with an expression that spelled nothing but trouble.

Rin, noting the look on her older friend's face, turned to see what was behind her. "Ah! Sesshoumaru-sama!" Needless to say, she looked considerably more thrilled about it than Kagome.

"Because if he was, what?" Sesshoumaru's voice, cold and cruel as always, easily cut through Rin's happiness.

Kagome would've responded with something clever or, as the case may be, not so clever, but at the moment she was in no position to say anything. Her hands, shaking some from the effort she was exerting, slipped easily from their weak grip on the sill, and before she or anyone else could process what was going on she dropped from the window in less than a second.

"Raven-chan!" Rin squeaked in horror, her hands rising to her mouth. Even quicker than her reaction, even, Sesshoumaru had leapt to the window, leaning down to see what had happened to his rather unlucky maid, an unrecognizable intensity on his face. 

There, spread out on the ground some 8 feet down from the window was Kagome, her eyes squinted in the pain of having the wind knocked out of her so roughly. "…Oooooh…"

She raised her hand to her face, holding it over her eyes, unable to make any sound other than grumbling.

Sesshoumaru's expression immediately loosened when he saw that the girl could at least move, even if her body was a bit banged up for the worse. _You stupid, stupid human…_

"Raven-chaaaan!" Rin pushed up next to Sesshoumaru, poking her head out to see how Kagome was doing. "Are you all right?!"

Slowly, very slowly, Kagome sat up, her hand still on her face. "…Oh, owch…owch owchy owch…"

Silently, Sesshoumaru disappeared from the window, moving into his room without any further notice. Within the next five minutes Kagome managed to get herself up on her feet and back onto the wall. Rin look confused, asking over and over why she needed such extreme measures just to get in her own room. Sesshoumaru still had yet to reappear, although Rin did turn back every once in a while to see if he was still in the room.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…Aren't you going to help her up?"

Silence ensued, but it answered the question clear enough. He was more upset than Kagome had originally thought. However, this only strengthened her resolve to make it up there, and to apologize as she had originally planned to do. _Not that I know what I did wrong…_

After a few failed attempts and a little more pain, Kagome had managed to get herself up onto the windowsill once more. She clung to it, using whatever strength left in her tired muscles, but was in the end forced to accept help from Rin just to get her stomach down onto the surface of the opening. With one risky maneuver, Kagome swung her leg up over the side and into Sesshoumaru's room, temporarily securing her place there. Her face was red and beaded with sweat, her hair matted and sprinkled with leaves and grass, but all in all she was proud of herself. If it would settle things with Sesshoumaru, surely it was worth it.

The youkai in question sat motionlessly on his bed, watching Rin with a sort of absent-mindedness that implied he was just looking for something to hold his attention for the moment. Gathering all of her courage, Kagome swung her other leg into his room, allowing herself to collapse gently down onto her feet. _Here I go…_

"Sessho-…"

"Rin. Leave."

Stunned, the up until now silent Rin turned from Kagome to Sesshoumaru, eyes wide and pleading. "But, Sesshomaru-sama!"

"Rin. I'll only ask once." The youkai prince had done everything to keep his gaze anywhere but on his maid, his eyes following the pouting Rin until she finally sulked out of view.

"…"

"Have you cleaned all the floors, as I ordered?" He asked the question nonchalantly as possible, staring somewhat to the side of Kagome, as if there were something more interesting going on outside the window.

"…No, I couldn't."

It was only a flash, but Kagome caught it. The way Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed to her for a split second before returning back to something else to distract him. "Hm." And, with that, he turned his back to her and headed towards his bed.

_'Hm'…? That's it? _The maid was horrified. This indifference was ten times worse than any possible anger or contempt he could show to her. _Does that mean…he just doesn't care any more? _For some reason, to her considerable surprise, tears began to well in Kagome's eyes at the thought. This wasn't how she wanted it to be. She had lied to herself before, just to make herself feel less guilty. _Sesshoumaru…he always allowed me to keep my identity. The one who was looking for excuses was I…_

As if not in control of her own body, Kagome collapsed to her knees, leaning forward and pressing her palms and forehead to the ground. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Her voice cracked, having a strange tone to even her own ears. She sounded…weak. "Sesshoumaru-sama…"

Whether he had stopped to look at her or not, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't very well going to stop now. She was already this far. With nothing more to lose, not even pride, she continued. "Sesshoumaru-sama…I beg of your grace…" Each syllable was somewhat lost in her struggle to keep back her tears. There were a million things she wanted to tell him right now, about how she went to Inuyasha, how important this was to her, how she was sorry, how she didn't mean to do anything to upset him. But none of it made its way to her mouth. She could only think of that one single sentence to say, praying that it embodied all of the thoughts she wanted to convey to him.

The air was thick, and for a moment, Kagome thought that her master might have been in the bathroom for the whole thing. _All of that effort…_She let her hands relax, raising her head in empty hope that he might be standing there.

…And, he was. Whether she was surprised or not, she wasn't sure. Not all that much truly surprised her anymore; it was impossible when living with someone as omnipresent and omnipotent as he. But, there he was, stiff as a board, staring down at his maid. That wasn't the strangest part, though. As Kagome raised her head even higher, confidence and something else building in her with the realization that he had stayed for her 'apology,' she caught a glimpse of his face. He was not angry, cold, blank, or thoughtful. No, he was something much, much different. For the first time in a long time, Sesshoumaru's face revealed exactly how he felt, to a level deeper than dull amusement or annoyed anger. He looked…amazed.

~

"Good morning, my boy!" Cheery and loud as always, Inutaisho stretched out his massive arms as greeting to his son. Not for an embrace, of course…In his large hands was a packet of what appeared to be multiple stacked together papers. "Ready for your big journey?"

Looking nothing more than vaguely interested, Sesshoumaru took the packet from his father's hands. "To where?"

"Just a little to the south, to a small town called Minami. There, you will find a temple, and a human woman named Kaede. Give her that, and she'll know what to do." Inutaisho lumbered back over to his great leather chair, lowering himself down onto it with a heavy sigh.

"Now, don't get upset when I say this, but…Inuyasha will be joining you. You know, just to get him out and about, all that…"

Again, looking only barely concerned, Sesshoumaru secured the package under his arm. "How compassionate of you."

Inutaisho grinned, leaning back and giving Sesshoumaru a somewhat intimidating look. "You be kind to him. I think he'll prove to be more helpful than you think. Not to say you couldn't manage on your own…"

"Manage on my own to accomplish what?"

"To bring back something for me." Inutaisho remained as vague and foggy as ever, enjoying the irritation it caused his eldest son.

"And what is that 'something' you have been referring to?" 

The great youkai king placed one large finger down onto a scroll that was out on his desk, specifically on the image of a priestess destroying hoards of beast-like youkai. Gradually, that finger trailed down to a purple stone, tapping it once before spinning the image so Sesshoumaru could clearly see what he was referring to himself. Inutaisho appeared pleased, pulling his hand back and crossing his arms across his hefty torso.

"The Shikon no Tama, of course!"

  
~

**Author's Note: **…What can I say. ._. That took a long time to update. Over a month. Oh god I'm sorry. The only excuse I have is that I've been at camp for a month, when I obviously couldn't update, but..Arrgh..I feel bad. Especially considering that I have 172 reviews as of now. I never ever ever believed that my story would ever become this popular, and because it has, I just have to express my gratitude. I try, I really do…And I'll try to update more, but I can't promise much…School has begun again, and I'm going to start working…The GOOD news is that I know where this is going, so it's no longer an issue of thinking, just getting it down onto paper. That's half of the work for me. Eep. I feel bad. I really do. I hope all the italics and all work, otherwise you might be confused…

Sorry nothing interesting really happened. I wanted to establish relationship connections, and it is going SOMEWHERE. Just very, very slowly. This story may end up being insanely long. I'm sorry, but I don't think there's any getting around it. Including the Naraku/Kikyou/Inuyasha issue, the Naraku/Kanna/Kagura issue, the Shikon no Tama issue, the Kouga/Kagome/Sesshoumaru issue, and the Kagome/Sesshoumaru fluff on the side…There's no way this is going to be done anytime soon. I don't want to drag it out or anything…But I just want to do so much! Please, I hope you don't get bored…If you think making it long will be an issue, and that it'll kill it, tell me, and I'm sure I could find some way to end it sometime soon. The thing is I really do enjoy writing it, and I'll be sad once I've finished…I'm planning on writing some new ones though, of course. Probably Sesshoumaru/Kagome, too. Oh well..Everyone, give me your opinions. Love! And remember, the mailing list option is always an issue, if you want to know about updates and the like. Or you could just watch. That works too.

Jaa MATA NE!


	11. Chapter 11 Dream Of You!

**Author's Note: **Yo! Inuyasha does not belong to me! …Yeah. That's all I have to say.

~

Kagome was restless. She had been tossing and turning all night, unable to find a position comfortable enough to fall asleep in. Even after her heart-wrenching apology, Sesshoumaru still had yet to speak a word to her, although she did catch him looking curiously at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention. He had left right after the sun came up, and afraid of an uncomfortable confrontation, Kagome laid still and pretended to be asleep.

It wasn't long before he returned, but Kagome didn't know whether he had brought anything with him or not, being that she was still too frightened to even open her eyes. 

Sesshoumaru, as well, was very tense with the whole situation. It was one of the few times in his life where he was absolutely lost for words. Given, he kept from speaking whenever possible, but that didn't mean he had nothing to say. And, he supposed, he did have plenty of things he wanted to say to the girl, but he had no idea how he was supposed to voice them, and he didn't quite know yet whether he wanted them to be said.

As quietly as possible he sat down at his desk, setting the package down in front of him. _Now…what could this be? _He turned it this way and that, looking for any hints of its contents, but there was nothing interesting to be seen. It was just a plain, decently sized brown parcel, about the size of a pillow. It was actually quite heavy, enough that he didn't try shaking it in fear of damaging whatever it contained. _Well…_he thought. _Can't continue this any longer…_

"Human." The word came out as unemotional and empty as any other, and he didn't even spare her a glance. "Get up."

Obediently Kagome sat up, looking down and to the side shyly. She stiffly rose to her feet, saying nothing and expecting some sort of command to get out and never return, or something along those lines. 

"Don't stand there like an idiot. I told you yesterday, did I not? We're leaving. Today. Now." With a swift, fluid motion he turned to her, controlling his movements and expression with the experience of thousands of years. Kagome still refused to look at him. He remained there for a moment, waiting for any sort of response, but when he saw he wouldn't be getting one he simply slipped into the bathroom, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Kagome let out a long sigh. She felt childish acting like this, too scared to talk or look at her master. _But there's nothing to say! It'll only get him angry…_Mentally she consoled herself, idly beginning to straighten up her futon. _It's best if I just keep my mouth shut…_

The next half hour passed without incident. Kagome changed into a cleaner set of day clothes, but being that she had no idea to where they were going or how long they were going to be away, she didn't even attempt to pack. It wasn't like she had anything to put her clothes in, anyway. Sesshoumaru spent a little while in the bathroom, coming out with his wet hair matted down his face. He sat down in front of his mirror, apathetically tossing an order to his maid to start packing for him.

Kagome stood in front of the closet vacantly for a few moments. True, she had done this before, but he had been right next to her to direct her with every piece of clothing. On top of that, she had known how long he was expected to be away. _I suppose more is better than less, since it'll probably be me carrying it anyway…_From the top of the closet she pulled the bag, unpleasantly surprised with it's weight. She stumbled back as it collapsed down into her arms, quite literally pushing her off her balance and causing her to tumble into the back of the closet. Before she could even comprehend the situation everything went black, her breathing suddenly obscured by cloth.

Sesshoumaru, who had heard the 'thud,' swirled around in his chair, expecting to see his maid having done something infinitely stupid. Which was right, for the most part. She had, as he could tell, done something very foolish, but he couldn't see her. He supposed she was curled up in the closet, being that he could just barely see her foot peeking out from the nook. 

Kagome groaned, trying to push the thick pile of Sesshoumaru's clothes from her face. The material was so thick that she was having a hard time breathing, which only made her head throb all the more. She hissed out a curse, emerging from the heavy pile and wiggling herself out. Luckily for her dignity, Sesshoumaru hadn't come to stare at her mockingly. She wasn't so optimistic to hope that he hadn't noticed, which of course he had, but she planned to take it as smoothly as possible. 

The youkai lord shook his head in exasperation. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing, and he knew it. He waited for her to collect herself and pull herself to her feet before rising from his chair, sauntering over to the closet. He found her looking helplessly down at the pile of clothes, not knowing where to start. Without a word he stepped up next to her, leaning down and picking up one of his robes, holding it up high and brushing it off idly. Kagome stiffened some, turning her head to look at him. He seemed to be doing it without a second thought, and once he was finished straightening it out he very easily slipped it back onto the shelf, having an advantage over Kagome with his towering height. 

Shaking herself out of her temporary fear, the maid hesitantly leaned over and grasped one of the robes, imitating him shakily. "…Thank you."

He took a step back, allowing her more room to pick things up. "It shouldn't be more than one or two days."

Surprised, Kagome stopped what she was doing, turning to look at him. "You mean…how long we're going to be wherever we're going?"

It was only after the question was complete that she realized what she had done. She clasped a hand over her mouth, embarrassed. Sesshoumaru just looked at her quizzically, wondering why she was acting so strangely. Of course, he knew it was awkward, but it seemed that she was forcing herself to…well…not be her.

"We'll be getting something for my father, in a small town to the south." Sesshoumaru turned away, returning to his chair and sitting himself down. Kagome continued to pick things up, face still flushed with embarrassment. 

"I…I see." Neither of them said anything else while Kagome hung up the remaining clothes, pulling Sesshoumaru's luggage bag from the back of the closet once she had finished. The moment she had unloosened the strings, she realized why it had been so heavy. He had returned early from that trip the other week, and so she had only taken out the few dirty articles that were in there. His other clothes were sill neatly packed away, having been there since she had originally put them there. She kneeled down beside the bag, taking out the pens and documents and comb, setting them to the side. 

_How lucky! _Kagome was thrilled with her finding. This meant that she only had to put in one or two more outfits, meaning fewer confrontations with Sesshoumaru. As Kagome finished that up, Sesshoumaru struggled with his hair in front of the mirror. He had neglected to brush it the previous day, having had too much on his mind with his aggravating maid. Thus, this morning the knots were all collected down at the tips, making it especially frustrating to comb out.

With every sound the brush made as it passed through the tangles, Kagome winced. Sesshoumaru's mistreatment of his beautiful hair was always unbearable to Kagome, who feared that some day it might just fall out. 

Sesshoumaru was just as irritated with it as Kagome, if not more so. He pulled angrily at the knots, so hard that his head tilted to the side with every brush. He let out a growl; gripping the handle of the brush so tightly it began to shake. Whenever he thought one portion of hair was straight, he would find one more knot that would seemingly multiply the others. Sometimes he seriously considered cutting it, as it was more of a disturbance than anything else.

"Um…" Kagome watched him, furrowing eyebrows. "Do you…"

Sesshoumaru turned his head to his maid just barely, staring harshly at her from the corner of his eye. Taking that as a "no," Kagome returned to packing the things back into the large bag, feeling almost insulted with the refusal. _He might as well cut it if he's going to let it get out of hand…And he even knows I can help!_

She was pulled from her thoughts by a "hn" noise, and when she looked towards her master, she saw that his arm was outstretched towards her, the brush held loosely in his hand. Immediately she brightened up, feeling more forgiving and confident now, even against her better instincts. Kagome quickly shuffled to her feet, gently taking the brush by the handle and stepping up behind the youkai prince. 

"All right…start at the bottom, like this." She took a good piece of hair that was next to his cheek, starting off by extremely gently combing out the tips before moving up. Sesshoumaru watched her movements in the mirror detachedly, showing only minimal interest. "And then…" Finally, she managed to take one long stroke through that strand with no knots or tangles stalling the bristles of the comb. "It's much easier. See?"

As she continued on, she managed to initiate a conversation about where they were going and for what purpose.

"The Shikon no Tama? What's that?" Sesshoumaru looked at her, with a somewhat aggravated expression, as if she had just said something characteristically dumb and dense of humans. "Nothing that you would understand."

After that little comment, Kagome began to brush her master's hair with much less care; although, for his sake, she didn't pursue the topic. Sesshoumaru was somewhat pleased with everything. It was like nothing strange had ever happened at all. It was hard to believe that just the previous day he had locked her out of the room, and that just this morning she was too frightened to speak even a word to him. Now, his maid was back to being noisy and melodramatic. In other words, everything was…_Normal. _

~

"Tell me…what is all the commotion?"

Candlelights flickered ominously on the walls of a dark, expansive room.

"It seems that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are taking a trip."

Naraku rested his chin delicately down into his hand, staring out the window with narrowed eyes and a calm smile.

"Oh? To where, I wonder…?"

"I do not know." Kanna stood next to a silent Kagura, looking as empty and detached as always. Her albino skin and hair quite literally glowed in the illumination of the candles, making her a specter next to the dark and angry Kagura. Kikyou sat on a small plush chair in the corner, eyes cast down, away from the lights. 

"Well then, I suppose we'd better find out. Would you like to go on a little adventure, Kikyou?"

Naraku just chuckled at her silent response.

~

"Ready to take off, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama?" 

Somehow, everyone was all packed and ready in less than an hour, an amazing feat in Kagome's opinion. What had formed was something much like a caravan; one carriage for the luggage, one for Sesshoumaru, one for Inuyasha, and then a smaller compartment where the driver, Jaken, sat, directly behind the six or so horses that were to lead the group. Kagome, of course, had no idea that Inuyasha was coming along until she saw him stuffing one of his huge bags into the luggage carriage, trailed by, even more of a surprise to her, Sango. It wasn't surprising that she was coming along, since Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha seemed to be a close-knit trio, but Miroku was nowhere in sight. 

However, whether Miroku or Inuyasha or Sango or anyone else was there didn't really matter at the moment. Sesshoumaru was very aware of the fact that his rambunctious younger brother was around, and after having let him try to handle his maid once, he was now more determined than ever to keep the two away from one another. 

Upon seeing the plush, beautiful interior of Sesshoumaru's carriage, Kagome's heart leapt. The first time she had ever ridden in one of these, that of course being when Inuyasha had taken here, the compartment was hard, plain, cramped, and wooden, making it an extremely uncomfortable journey. But this time, she would get to…

"What are you looking at, human?"

Kagome pulled herself away from the carriage, turning to look at Sesshoumaru. "Just our carriage…"

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but grin. "OUR carriage? You mean, my carriage. You don't ride with me."

"…What?" 

"Humans…" Sesshoumaru gracefully raised his arm, pointing his index finger to the luggage carriage. "Ride in there." 

~

Kagome was uncomfortable. Indeed, uncomfortable was an understatement. Kagome wasn't just uncomfortable; she was in pain, both mental and physical. The physical pain of course came from being stuffed in between the door and a large, hard bag, which was only one of the many positions she had to assume throughout the commencement of the journey. The mental pain came from being treated like nothing more than luggage; an item to be stuffed into whatever nook she could fit in just because she was a human. _There was plenty of room with Sesshoumaru! Argh…my leg…_She could feel the familiar tingling in her foot, and so to temporarily prolong the inevitable loss of sensation she swung it over (with some effort) one of the wooden boxes that was back there for a reason she couldn't even imagine. 

"When I get out of here, I'm never speaking to him again. Never."

How long she had even been in there, she had no idea. It was probably a few hours; it couldn't be anything much less than that.

Tired from shifting and struggling, Kagome leaned her head back against the hard wood corner of the compartment, just letting it bump this way and that. She was really too exhausted to be angry with Sesshoumaru anymore; she just wanted something comfortable to nap against. 

Up front, Sesshoumaru had somehow managed to doze off. It was a very light, daydreamy sort of nap, something that was highly uncharacteristic of him or any pureblood youkai for the matter. Rarer yet, he was dreaming for the first time in his very, very long life. __

_Sesshoumaru was standing next to some sort of tiny, rural house, patches of dead grass littering the foundation. Confused, he took a few steps, looking around for anything recognizable to him. _

_"Kagome!"_

_Swiftly he turned to the origin of the watery sound, alert but not as cautious as was normal for him. For some reason, in this unfamiliar and hazy landscape, he felt calm. The continuing voices came to him slowly and groggily, as if he were hearing them from underwater. They brought him around the corner of the house, where he saw the last thing he expected._

_"Haha, you can't catch me!" Sesshoumaru watched in silent wonder as his maid chased a young boy around the yard, finally tackling him down and wrestling him until she managed to secure his arms by his side. He followed her with his eyes as she brought the struggling little boy, reminding him very much of Rin, inside the house, coming back out with a few coins in her hand._

_"Only get a pound or so!" An old, tired looking woman was standing near the entrance of the little house, calling out to his maid as she rushed off. _

_Almost unintentionally, Sesshoumaru followed her, having the strange perception that the scenery was actually moving and changing around him without him moving at all. Suddenly he was on the side of a road that swerved into a town equally as quaint as the house he saw his maid in just a few moments earlier. She was approaching him, focusing exclusively on the coins in her open palm, totally oblivious to her surroundings. That's when another presence appeared in the scene as swift as wind, materializing right in front of the place where the youkai prince was standing._

_Sesshoumaru unconsciously narrowed his eyes. 'Kouga…?' He looked back to his maid, a strong feeling beginning to weigh down on his chest. It was just as he had guessed. She didn't see him. _

_Part of the sequence was suddenly skipped, because before Sesshoumaru even knew it, Kouga had his hand on his maid's chin, examining her this way and that. "Oi. Are you healthy?"_

_"N-no…I'm not healthy at all! I have…I have a horrid limp and my left eye doesn't work well and…"_

_Another scene was skipped. Sesshoumaru's expression faltered just slightly with the abrupt change of surroundings, as he was no longer on the side of a small dirt path, but he was in a dark, thick forest, alone. _

_'Where am I?' Sesshoumaru looked this way and that, but Kouga and Kagome were nowhere to be found. He walked a little ways forward, quite suddenly at the edge of a massive cliff. He calmly looked down at it, the words that his maid had once said coming back to him. 'This humble servant fell off a cliff…'_

_Once again, in the blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru was back in the same forest spot he was at before, except this time not alone. He could hear rustling and heavy breathing somewhere behind him, and with peaked curiosity, he watched as his maid came bursting out of the leaves and bushes, her legs moving at an incredible pace. Soon behind her was Kouga, enjoying the hunt just as much as any youkai would, his fangs visible and shining with a crooked grin. _

_In the strange, incomprehensible physics of dreams, Sesshoumaru followed the pair without moving a muscle for what had to be at least five minutes. 'Maybe I'll just keep this one to myself…'_

_It was Kouga's voice, or at least it was something of Kouga's, Sesshoumaru perceived, even though the wolf youkai hadn't opened his mouth even once since the chase had begun. And then, when things had gotten their haziest, and when the sounds had gotten as water-logged as they were going to get, everything just…stopped._

_The sounds stopped, the scenery stopped, everything just went quiet. And Sesshoumaru watched, with a quickly tightening chest, as his maid slowly and in short skips, fell to the ground far below._

_And then, everything was gray and obscured, covered in a thick fog. What had become much clearer were the voices. __"Don't think you'll get any special treatment." It was Kouga, and he sounded angry. "I saved your life. You owe me. You owe me your life."_

_"What is your name?" "…Kagome."_

_"You should always do what you're told…but…if you're ever in any serious need of help…" Sesshoumaru's eyes widened a little. The view had become much clearer. He was sitting, or at least he supposed he was sitting, in a carriage with Inuyasha and his maid, who was very, very, very badly battered up. "I'll protect you. I promise."_

_Then, perhaps the strangest part yet, Sesshoumaru saw his maid and himself on the first night they met. Not once had he ever seen a profile of himself, although he was not in the least surprised with his cruel and intimidating atmosphere. It was surprising how long ago it felt, he mused to himself, since he first met the poor and easily frightened human girl. _

_Instead of just flashing to the next image, this time it seemed to morph. The table melted into a stone wall, his maid melted and then materialized once more on her knees next to Sesshoumaru, and both were staring at an Inuyasha who had been formed from the ground itself. The youkai lord remembered this. This was right after she had spilled that water on him, and Inuyasha had come to mock his older brother…And then…"Inuyasha."_

_Everything went blurry except his maid. She had a look of solid superiority on her face; her eyes were narrowed, her lips were pursed into a thin line, and her head was held up slightly enough that she looked like…_

_'Me.' Sesshoumaru remembered now. He remembered how he had been relatively intrigued with the way she had acted that day, but until now, he couldn't put his finger on it. 'She looks like…me.'_

And suddenly he was awake. He didn't remember exactly when his eyes had opened, but before he knew it he was back in the carriage, sitting up straight and alert as if he had never been asleep at all. 

"Jaken."

The little toad youkai made a squeaking noise, turning back to look at his master. "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Stop the horses." The toad was obviously confused, but not about to disobey Sesshoumaru. A very groggy looking Inuyasha stuck his head out of the window in front of his older brother, looking as if he had just woken up. 

"Nyuh…? Are we there yet…?"

Calmly and silently, Sesshoumaru swung the carriage door open, stepping out and striding over to the luggage cart. 

Kagome had of course noticed that the little caravan had come to a halt, since her head was no longer bashing this way and that against the walls and luggage. _Did we stop? _She tried to poke her head around the luggage that she had moved onto her lap for legroom, but there was nothing to be seen. There was no window, really, just a few slits for breathing and light. 

Taking Kagome by surprise the door abruptly flew open, light pouring in and temporarily blinding the poor girl. "Agh!" She winced, shrinking back into her baggage cocoon. 

"Human. Get out." Kagome winced once more, looking pitiably up at her master. 

"Are we there yet…?"

"No. Get out." As was commanded of her, Kagome pushed and struggled her way through the boxes and bags, simultaneously wondering if Sesshoumaru was planning on dumping her off in the middle of nowhere as a quick and easy way to eliminate her as an annoyance. _Well, I suppose the other option would be Kouga…_

Once she had finally collected her balance outside, she turned to her youkai master. Before she had the chance to ask him what the problem was he gripped his hand tightly around her wrist, pulling her quite forcefully over to his carriage, swinging the door open, and pushing her inside. She really had no choice but to allow him to do all of this, a speechless Inuyasha watching from up front in awe.

Sesshoumaru followed Kagome into the luxurious cart, shutting the door behind him and waving his hand out the window once more to indicate for Jaken to start up again. Kagome just remained silent, staring at Sesshoumaru with wide, curious eyes. 

Sesshoumaru looked calmly and unemotionally out the window, as if nothing odd at all had happened. Kagome continued to stare, needless to say, confused but nevertheless pleased. "I…um…"

 Evenly, the youkai prince turned his head to look at his maid, examining her up and down for a few minutes. "Hm." Looking unphased, Sesshoumaru reached out and silently fixed a large wrinkle in Kagome's dress by tugging on the hem of it. With that, he looked idly back out the window and placed his hand back onto his own lap. Kagome just watched him with wide-eyed amazement. With a faint blush and slightly shaking hands, she leaned against the window, watching the scenery roll by and smiling happily to herself.

~

"Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, we've arrived!" Kagome was shaken from her nap by Jaken's toady voice, eyelids still heavy and her vision blurry with the usual fog of the post-sleep half-consciousness that she always experienced. 

When she looked over to where Sesshoumaru was sitting she saw that he had already exited, and not wanting to hold them up, she stumbled out as quickly as she could while simultaneously trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. Wherever they were, it wasn't quite as glorious as Kagome thought it would be. It was beautiful, yes, but no towering buildings or streets lined with gold or gorgeously decorated walls and fences that she would expect from a journey by someone of Sesshoumaru's standing. Instead, it was a simple seaside town with short stone walls, plenty of colorful gardens, towering trees and, to top it all off, an ancient looking temple on top of the hill that all the little shelters framed. 

"Is that where we're going?" Inuyasha asked the question that Kagome was thinking, approaching his brother and the servant with his finger pointing towards the expansive shrine. Sesshoumaru answered the question with a nod of his head.

"So…" Inuyasha crossed his arms, looking towards the caravan, then up at the temple. "Where do we put the stuff?"

"Shut up, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru walked past the hanyou without a second glance, heading up the stone road towards the temple. 

The hanyou scoffed, sulking after his older brother angrily. "What?! Where do you get off telling me to shut up?! I'm not going to leave my stuff here unsupervised! It'll get stolen!"

"Jaken will take care of it." Sesshoumaru was visually frustrated, the mere sound of his brother's voice causing mental discomfort.

"Yes, leave it to me, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken hopped down from the driver's box, shuffling over to Kagome and smacking her hard over the head with his staff (which seemed to materialize out of nowhere, in Kagome's opinion). "You, human! You'll be carrying the luggage!"

Sesshoumaru turned abruptly, looking down at Jaken. "No, sh-…"

Inuyasha had stopped as well, watching his older brother quizzically and carefully, something that the pureblood youkai had quickly realized. Biting his tongue and narrowing his eyes, Sesshoumaru turned and continued on his way. Inuyasha gave Kagome a confused look. "Will you be okay, Raven?"

Before Kagome could answer Sesshoumaru paused once more, turning to Inuyasha. "When did you get the idea that you could talk to _my_ servant?" He strongly stressed the next to last word, staring intensely at his younger sibling. 

"I can talk to whoever I want! Since when have you been so protective over a human, anyway?"

The youkai prince, obviously tweaked by that last remark, raised his head just slightly. "Funny. Hearing that from a stupid hanyou who couldn't even keep his own silly little human 'maid' from running away. You repel humans just as strongly as you depend on them."

Insulted in more ways than one, Inuyasha's voice rose to a dangerous decibel, revealing his fangs and clenching his fists. "What do you mean by THAT?!"

Without answering Sesshoumaru continued on his way, leaving the hanyou behind with a bruised and battered. Brushing the whole thing off with a 'feh,' Inuyasha trailed back, crossing his arms and looking down with an angry frown.

Kagome would've rolled her eyes or something to that extent, but the painful commands from Jaken forced her to load as many bags as possible onto her back for her own trek up to the temple, which was suddenly looking unbearably steep to her.

~

It had taken at least eight trips, but the luggage was finally all packed away in one of the shrine's traditional Japanese rooms, leaving Kagome with a bad neck cramp and a limp. It turned out that they were only staying the night, which seriously made Kagome wonder what the contents of all these cases and such were. 

The ride there had taken 6 hours, she estimated, meaning that it was probably a little past 3 in the afternoon. That didn't make much sense to her either, though, since what she had gathered was that Sesshomaru's job was just to make a delivery and pick something up. She couldn't think of a reason that it would take more than a few hours to complete the transfer. 

Jaken had just finished tying the horses up and unhitching the carriages, so she supposed that it meant she could go rejoin Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. She had heard Sesshoumaru's voice coming from behind a sliding screen right next to the gate, but it was shut and she didn't know if she was allowed to just barge in. So, to stay out of trouble, she waited outside, shifting back and forth uncomfortably on her sore feet. Sesshoumaru and a voice unfamiliar to Kagome talked quietly for about ten minutes , Inuyasha inserting some sarcastic and loud comments himself whenever he got the chance. Finally, the screen door slid open, and Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru emerged. 

"So, I'll see you two again tonight, I wager?" An old hunched over woman with gray hair and an eye patch hobbled out behind the two brothers, her voice crackly from age. Sesshoumaru gave her a delicate nod. "Thank you." 

"Yeah, thanks a lot you old hag…" Inuyasha grumbled to himself, earning a rough hair-tug from the old woman. "As charming as always, Inuyasha!" 

"Ow! Let go!" The hanyou growled and pulled, hissing curses at the old priestess. Sesshoumaru just ignored them both, and instead looked down at Kagome. His expression asked the question well enough, and she nodded. "All taken care of."

"Hm?" The old woman suddenly looked at Kagome, letting go of Inuyasha's hair. "And who are you?"

"That's Sesshoumaru's maid, grandma." Inuyasha snorted, saying the term "grandma" with enough sarcasm that Kagome knew that it was an insult rather than a genuine title. 

"I can answer my questions myself, Inuyasha." The youkai looked at Inuyasha with disgust, fangs just barely exposed. Kagome thought to herself bitterly, _even though it was a question directed at me…_

"It wasn't for either of you." The woman, with the confidence of many years of hardships, pushed past both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. "Who are you, girl?"

Kagome blinked a few times in succession, surprised. "I'm…I'm Sesshoumaru's maid."

"Yes, yes, of course, but your name, girl! Your name!"

She paused. She wasn't quite sure how to answer the question, not with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha standing right next to her. "Um…er…Raven."

The old woman looked quizzical, examining Kagome up and down. "Ah. I see. Follow me, please."

She walked back into the room, signaling for Kagome to follow her. Confused, but not one to ignore a request, especially one made by someone other than Sesshoumaru or Jaken, Kagome obeyed. 

The door snapped shut behind her, and Kagome hopped forward in surprise. "Don't be so scared, I'm not going to hurt you."

The priestess hobbled down the considerably sized room, and Kagome followed her, even though she was not sure if she was expected to do such. "My name is Kaede. Don't look so tense, girl! Now." She stopped abruptly, turning to face Kagome. "We're alone now. What's your real name?"

"Oh…it's…it's Kagome." 

"Kagome? I see. Well, Kagome. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha will be coming back here tonight to get something from me. I want you to come too. Do you understand? It's important that you do."

Somewhat taken aback, the raven-haired girl nodded. 

"Good. Now, off you go." And with that, Kaede waved her hand to the door, sending Kagome off.

~

**Author's Note: **I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME. T_T I KNOW. I'm SORRY. I really, really, really am. I KNOOOOOOW. And it's TOOOOOTALLY my fault and I'm SOOOOOORRY. And I know this ended really abruptly, but, that's because I PROMISED one of my fans that it'd be done by Tuesday, and…well, it's not. But I figured that SOMETHING is better than NOTHING. Right? Right. Besides, it's not insanely short. 8 pages isn't that bad..Is it? I have not closely grammar checked it. I haven't. I'm sorry, but it's late and I'll work on it more tomorrow. I cannot promise another chapter soon, but I CAN promise that another page or so will be up WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK. Will that do for now?

I will try to update more, since now I have more time and now I actually sat down and thought about it, and I have a sequence of events to follow. Am I promising once a week? No. But I am promising once a month. Will that do for people? And if it gets longer than that, then feel free to IM/e-mail me forcing me to promise. Since I feel bad not keeping promises. A lot of people told me that I shouldn't drag it out and that I need to focus less on the subplots, but I'm sorry, that just goes against my morals as an author. I can't just have the story be about Sesshoumaru and Kagome and her being taken or not being taken away by Kouga. That's dull, dry, and it's quite obviously something an author would write just for the fluff levels and reviews. As much as I love fluff and reviews, I want to make this interesting. Not Dickens material, sure, but at least a real story. Not just something I BS for the attention. Ne?

I hope everyone who asked to be on the mailing list I'm e-mailing…A lot of people asked in the reviews, but trust me, that DOESN'T work. I have like, over 10 pages of reviews, and I can't skim them all for e-mail addresses. So e-mail me, okay? That's much, much easier. 

Oh, and I contemplated putting Sango and Miroku in here, but that probably would've just been clutter, don't you agree? Jaa…MATA NE! (Don't be angry, people…! I love you, I do! That's why I worked so hard on this the past few days! I even had two pages in the middle of there that I totally rewrote just to make it better for you!)


	12. Chapter 12 Fight For You!

**Author's Note: **Inuyasha does no~t belong to me. No, no it does not. I'm sorry…

~

"What was that about?" Inuyasha asked Kagome as she shut the sliding door behind her.

"Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru's voice was dangerously low.

"She requested that I come see her tonight." Kagome did her best to sound as if she were speaking into the air, rather than directly to one or the other.

"Huh? Why?" The hanyou had blurted it out before thinking, as was usual for him, but Sesshoumaru didn't reprimand him this time, as the exact same question was on his mind.

Kagome shrugged. "I don't-…"

"Lord Sesshoumaru-sama~!" The familiar squawking could be heard approaching, and instinctively Kagome shut her mouth and stepped to the side, ready to do anything to avoid any more beatings from Jaken's staff.

"What is it, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru seemed just as displeased to see him as Kagome was.

"Everything is all set, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama! The carriage has been put away, and all of Lord Sesshoumaru's and Inuyasha's things are ready and waiting! Shall this humble servant take you there?"

Sesshoumaru exchanged a quick glance with Inuyasha before nodding curtly, stepping after Jaken as he started to shuffle off. Inuyasha strutted along after him, looking no happier or angrier than usual, and having received no orders otherwise Kagome cautiously trailed at the end.

The room was an astounding distance away from the main hall, reminding Kagome that this was quite possibly the largest shrine that she had ever heard of. They had passed at least 20 doors on one side of the building, turned a corner, and passed 20 more before Jaken finally turned and slid a normal looking door open. Jaken stayed at the opening of the door, allowing Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha in with a cliché wave of his hand and a humbling bow, and then threw out his hand in denial of Kagome's entrance. Kagome wasn't surprised, really, but a little disappointed. She had been hopeful that she wouldn't have to spend the night in a strange, dark room with other strange and obedient servants. 

Sesshoumaru didn't notice that she wasn't inside until after he had surveyed his new domain, smoothly turning to Jaken to wave him off when he saw that his maid was standing outside the door as well, head hung low. As he had when they first arrived he opened his mouth to say something (perhaps to invite her in and tell Jaken she would be staying with him) but was reluctant when his eyes quickly shot to Inuyasha. Kagome realized, then, that Sesshoumaru was hesitant to show anything but apathy to her when Inuyasha was around. After having taken her into his carriage he had been rewarded by a remark from Inuyasha that he was becoming attached to humans, something Kagome knew repulsed him. But still, in some way it flattered Kagome. It meant that he had accepted that he treated her better than a regular maid; that perhaps he really did want her around, and that that realization bothered him.

After Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had gotten visually settled in the room (Kagome didn't really know what it was like, as she was at an angle where she could just hardly see Sesshoumaru), Jaken bowed once more and bid an obedient farewell. Once the little toad man had closed the door in front of him, he turned to Kagome and gave her shoulder a little smack with his cane. "You will stay in the servant's room!" He croaked at her, beginning to shuffle quickly down the hall, in the direction from where they had originally come from. As Kagome walked quickly behind him she peeked at some of the numerous rooms at her side, all of which had their doors tightly shut. She wondered if they were really all occupied, or if they were just empty and Kaede had given Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha the room in the boondocks as revenge for Inuyasha's sour attitude. 

Jaken and Kagome turned the same corner, passed in front of the large hall where Kagome presumed that Kaede was still in, and around the corner on the other side. Abruptly Jaken stopped at the second door, swinging it open without warning and nudging Kagome inside. "Don't come out unless you're called for! Understand?" 

Kagome didn't even get a chance to answer; as before she could open her mouth he had slammed the door shut once more, leaving her alone in the tiny room. There was a cleanly made up futon in the corner, and the room really wasn't all that bad. It wasn't glamorous to be sure, but there was a flowerpot near the door and everything was clean and pretty. However, it suddenly dawned on Kagome that she wouldn't be sharing the room with anyone. This was a room that was designed for one person and one person only. 

_Maybe that's why there are so many rooms…_Kagome sat down onto the futon. _Maybe some very important people with numerous maids have come here to pay their respects…_

Exhausted, the sore maid laid back onto the mattress, eyelids feeling heavy. She had had such an uncomfortable day, and for the first time in a long time she was contentedly alone. No obnoxious orders from Sesshoumaru, no worries about Kouga. Finally, for once, she could just be by herself and forget all the things that had happened to her in the past month. And with that blissfully impossible thought, Kagome slipped into a deep, warm sleep.

~

Only an hour or so after Jaken had left them there, Inuyasha was bored and ready to go out and do something. Sesshoumaru was lounging in a red plush chair that was next to a larger than normal futon, one hand up to his forehead and the other flipping the pages of the thin book he was looking through. The room Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had received was, not surprisingly, much more extravagant than the one Kagome was staying in. Not only was it much larger, it was decorated, with hanging gold and red lanterns and even bamboo resting in pots in the corner. The beds were just futons, purposely placed on opposite sides of the large area, but they were wider than the regular ones you'd normally find in these sorts of temples.

"I'm leaving." A restless Inuyasha stood from his futon, stomping over the door and placing his hand on the edge. No response from Sesshoumaru.

"Did you hear me? I said I was-…"

"Mm." Sesshoumaru raised a hand and waved it nonchalantly towards the door.

"Feh!"

Sesshoumaru listened as the door slid open, as Inuyasha stepped noisily out, and as the door was finally clicked shut again, leaving Sesshoumaru alone and content. For the most part.

~

"Oi! Ooooooi!" Kagome was awakened by Inuyasha's distinguishable yell. She turned in her bed, not at all eager to get up. When he didn't receive an answer, the hanyou began to pound on the wood frame of the traditional paper door, shouting even louder. "Oi! Raven! OI!"

"Nnnn…" With a groan Kagome rolled herself off the futon, crawling over to the door and sliding the door open in an only half-conscious haze. "What do you waaaaant?"

Inuyasha loomed over her, his face set in frustration. "Get up. Let's go. Somewhere." He added the somewhere as an afterthought, letting Kagome know that it wasn't time to go see Kaede yet.

"Somewhere? Where, somewhere?" She mumbled with a nasally whine in the back of her voice, shrinking back from the light that flickered across the room as Inuyasha rocked back and forth uncomfortably. 

"I don't know. A walk. I'm bored." Inuyasha stepped into the room, looking around with a finicky displeasure. 

Kagome sighed heavily, turning on her knees and commencing to crawl back to her warm and inviting futon. "Go be bored on your own, Inuyasha…I haven't slept in a few days…"

Obviously not ready to take 'no' for an answer, Inuyasha hopped forward, crouching down on the balls of his feet and grabbing Kagome vigorously by the wrist. "I said get up, wench!"

Frustrated, sore, and exhausted, Kagome rolled her eyes and tugged feebly at his grip. "Inuyasha, would you just…OW!" 

The hanyou, getting tired of waiting, effortlessly pulled the halfheartedly struggling human girl to her feet and swiftly lead her out of the room, sliding the screen behind him shut with his foot. "Ow, ow, ow! Inuyasha, don't be so rough!"

Kagome stumbled along behind Inuyasha as he dragged her away from her room, ignoring all of her futile complaints and objections. As they turned the corner Inuyasha turned back to Kagome, giving her a little tug to accentuate his point. "Stop flailing so much, wench, you'll make a scene!" 

The exhausted maid was ready to spit something back out on him, but before she could react Inuyasha jumped back a little, tightening his grip painfully on her wrist and unintentionally pulling her into his back. "Ow, Inuyasha, what are you…"

Kagome looked up, and there, leaning casually against the temple wall, arms crossed and eyes concentrated solely and intensely on Inuyasha, was Sesshoumaru. The raven-haired girl winced to herself, shrinking back behind Inuyasha and trying to ignore the stinging pain in her wrist. 

"Sesshoumaru…uh…" Inuyasha's eyes flicked between his elder brother and the open land outside the temple nervously, unconsciously tensing and untensing his grip on poor Kagome's arm, nearly piercing the skin.

After a small pause, the youkai prince spoke. "…I was wondering when you'd get here, Inuyasha."

The hanyou hopped a little in surprise, and Kagome, suddenly feeling as if she were much safer, peeked her head out from behind Inuyasha, looking cautiously to Sesshoumaru. Still leaning against the wall, he was smirking just slightly, as his eyes moved from his younger brother to Kagome. "So? Where were you two planning on going?"

Kagome stepped out from behind the hanyou, pulling in vain against his tightened claws. 

"I…I wasn't planning on going anywhere. Inuyasha just-…" Kagome started to explain, hoping to direct the blame to Inuyasha who was, indeed, responsible, but the hanyou cut in before she could finish. 

"We were going for a walk!" And with that, Inuyasha boldly pulled the helpless maid to his side and stomped to the steps, his jaw shaking just slightly with the effort of keeping his gaze in front of him. 

Kagome, being dragged along unwillingly, couldn't see her youkai master but she could hear the puff of air (which strongly resembled a chuckle) he let out. "All right, then." The sound of cloth ruffling, and suddenly Sesshoumaru was next to Kagome. "Let's go."

Startled but somewhat relieved, Kagome stopped pulling against the hanyou's rough grip. She wasn't sure why Sesshoumaru had volunteered to spend time with his younger brother, but at the same time the company wasn't unwanted. It had been hard for Kagome to talk to Inuyasha ever since the incident in the Gospella.

"Who invited you?" With another inconsiderate tug, Kagome was jerked towards the hanyou. Almost instantly, Kagome could feel Sesshoumaru's hand wrap around her wrist and pull her in the opposite direction with even more force.

"I don't need your permission, hanyou." He very literally snarled, frightening both Kagome and Inuyasha with his intensity. Wisely, the hanyou let go of Kagome's arm, but kept a melodramatically sour attitude about it, crossing his arms and baring his fangs. "Feh…"

Becoming calm with the victory, Sesshoumaru let go of Kagome and began his stride down the steps, pausing only brieftly in a silent command to his maid and younger brother. Obediently they followed after him, the mood having taken a total 180. Inuyasha looked to the side, whispering bitterly. "Yeah, well…she likes me better."

Kagome grit her teeth with exasperation. She was too angry, too upset, too aggravated to say anything to either of them. She cared about Inuyasha, very much, yes, but to say that it was more than Sesshoumaru would be a lie. And that he had said it just to make the youkai prince angry…That Sesshoumaru treated her as some sort of property that 'belonged' specifically to him…

Sesshoumaru refrained from responding to Inuyasha's comment, staring out in front of him with his face set in stone. Something was bothering him, something that he could probably confirm if he could just bring himself to turn around, but he would never give Inuyasha that sort of pleasure. _Why? _He frowned despite himself, making his way away from the temple. _Why hasn't she denied it?_

~

The farther the trio made it from the temple, the more the mood softened. Kagome almost gained a skip to her step, forgetting her anger and really beginning to enjoy this trip into nature that she felt like she hadn't experienced for a long time. The sky was a wonderful blue, the air wasn't too warm or too cold, and everything smelled sweet and clean.

"So…" Kagome, after having finally gathered the courage to speak, walked a little faster to catch up with Sesshoumaru. "Where are we going?"

Nothing. Cold and expressionless, Sesshoumaru ignored the innocent question. Confused and a little hurt, Kagome stopped and watched her master's figure as it bobbed away from her. Inuyasha snorted, giving Kagome a sly grin when he passed her. The human girl growled to herself, dejectedly strolling alongside the hanyou. "Shut up, Inuyasha."

It was Sesshoumaru's turn to be amused. "Really, Inuyasha."

Kagome spontaneously laughed, finding something very enjoyable about Sesshoumaru's almost joking tone of voice. It was almost like she was back home with her friends, talking and walking and not worrying about anything at all. Almost.

On the other hand, Inuyasha enjoyed it considerably less. "Why are YOU siding with a human wench?" Inuyasha barked out to Sesshoumaru's back, winning himself an angry glare from Kagome.

Again, Sesshoumaru fell into silence. Kagome pursed her lips, turning to Inuyasha with a barrage of insults on the ready. "You…" Yet, the moment her eyes rested on Inuyasha's, she paused. His cute ears were swiveling this way and that, and for some reason he was staring down at her with a sort of fascinated look, eyes wide and questioning. At a lack of words, surprised by the almost childish expression, Kagome kept her eyes locked on his. "…Eh?"

Shaken back into his senses, Inuyasha turned away with a blush and began to charge forward, avoiding Kagome's blank stare. The whole time, Sesshoumaru listened keenly.

Just when she thought it was over, ready to start up walking again, the embarrassed hanyou stopped a few feet in front of her, just as suddenly and unexpectedly as his weird behavior only a few moments early. "Oi."

Sesshoumaru stopped as well, ears twitching in anticipation. Ignoring the presence of his elder sibling, Inuyasha continued. "You…when…Are you ever going to leave?"

The last few words were just gibberish, hardly distinguishable to Kagome. "…What?"

Ruffling cloth, a light puff of wind, and with incredible speed and finesse Sesshoumaru was once again looming over his younger brother, eyes narrowed.

He pulled his arm back, looking ready to punch the hanyou in the blink of an eye, but something held him back. Fangs visible and threatening, Sesshoumaru turned to his maid. He said something to her, along the lines of 'We're going back,' but she could hardly hear him. In the moment when he had spun to her, the heavy, hanging material of his outfit flashed in front of her, causing her to instinctively raise her hands over her face. Thrown off balance by the sudden movement, Kagome toppled back, landing on her back.

"Oof!" Kagome dropped her hands down next to her head, the wind temporarily knocked out of her stomach. 

"Are you…" Sesshoumaru threw out a hand, blocking Inuyasha's view of his maid. With hidden concern the youkai prince crouched down over the slightly disabled girl, searching her over with his eyes.

"I'm fine…" With one hand Kagome pushed herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her stomach with the other. "I think…we should go back now." She wasn't sure of the reason, but the fall hadn't only hurt her abdomen. In fact, now she had the strange feeling that there was something heavy pulling down on her heart, and at the moment all she wanted was to go back to her small little room and lay down.

~

They had made the walk back to the temple in silence, Kagome's chest and stomach throbbing occasionally, causing her to raise her hand to the area and attract the attention of the two 'men' she was traveling with. 

Sesshoumaru made it a point to silence Inuyasha whenever he spoke, but the truth was he too was a little…curious to the condition of his maid. That wasn't to say he was worried or anything, just curious. That answer went across more smoothly in his mind than any of the other possibilities. 

They all split off without a word when they reached the entrance to the temple. Inuyasha swiftly disappeared behind the building, presumably to perch himself in a tree to think as he normally did after a stressful situation. Sesshoumaru strode back in the direction of his room, and Kagome began doing the same.

_What happened…? _She sighed heavily to herself. Things seemed to be going downhill lately…That argument with Sesshoumaru back at the castle, and now this. _Even Inuyasha is probably mad at me…_He hand rose to her collarbone, searching for the coins, as she had learned to do almost instinctively now. Kagome's footsteps slowed down as her hands began to search more frantically along the hem of her gown. 

_The coins…_Stopping, she patted both sides of her collarbone, even pulling the neck forward a little so she could see if perhaps they had slipped down lower. But they were nowhere to be found.

Spinning in place, Kagome turned this way and that, looking at the ground, checking her dress for pockets that didn't exist, even feeling up and down her own sleeves. _The coins…where are they?! Where are mom's coins?!_

That's when realization hit her. When she had fallen before, on her back…As fast as her body allowed she twirled 180 degrees, pushing herself off and breaking into a sprint, back into the direction that she had just come from.

~

Unexpectedly, a wave of instinctive youkai senses flooded Sesshoumaru's nerves. It was as if something inside of him had just pulsed, causing a ripple effect throughout his whole body. _It's her…_He didn't need to think or confirm, he just acted. With awe-inspiring speed and agility Sesshoumaru had gone from the hall leading to his own room to the entrance of the large building, eyes jetting this way and that, searching for his maid. 

The pulsing feeling again, causing his ears to start ringing. _…What? _She was running. She was running away. Her legs were moving at an incredible pace, carrying her faster and faster down the stairs, and farther and farther away from…him. His heart started to race, in a way that he had never experienced before. 

_She's running away…_

The pulsing had become a throbbing, and it seemed that everything in his vision was getting slightly skewed. Angry, territorial youkai senses had overcome his logic and reasoning, and without allowing himself the chance to think he was racing down after her, with a swiftness that rivaled even Kouga's. And this time, Kagome was at a very clear disadvantage.

Kagome didn't have a chance. By the time that he had reached her she had no idea that he was coming, and even if she had, it's not like she could've avoided it. She had just reached the base of the stairs when the impact struck, her head flying back from backlash and her legs flying out from under her, catching her completely off of guard.

Before she had even touched the ground (mind you, she had no idea what was going on in the speed of the moment) a tense hand gripped onto the back of her neck, spinning her around and pushing her down onto the ground. Kagome's heart was absolutely beating like mad. Her breath had become instantly become shallow, and she had been so startled that for that brief moment when she was freefalling to the ground she seriously thought her heart may have just exploded.

Her wide eyes shot up, expecting to land upon the grim reaper himself, and she left out a large breath of air, almost a whimper, as soon as her frightened gaze met Sesshoumaru's angry one.

"Se-sesshoumaru-sama!" It came out as a squeak, so much air having collected in her chest that she was finding it hard to breathe. 

The youkai had his clawed, ready hand raised and tensed at the side of his face, looking ready to plunge it down into Kagome's throat at any instant. He would have done so already had it been anyone else, even his brother, but it was as if something was holding him back. He struggled valiantly against the invisible force, eyes narrowed and fangs gleaming in anger, hearing only the throbbing in his ears and seeing only his maid's pale face.

Everything in Kagome; courage, warmth, feeling, it all seemed to sink to the pit of her stomach. "Sesshoumaru…sama…what are you doing?"

Sesshoumaru's forehead was twitching from the effort of the personal battle raging inside of his head, not sure where to place the strange pain in his chest. "You…you would leave."

Kagome's whole body was heaving, heart beating almost painfully against her ribcage, so scared that her shoulders were shaking. 

"…What…?"

Slowly, stressfully, Sesshoumaru lowered his hand to his side, staring down intensely at his maid. "You hate it so much…?"  
A bead of sweat dripped down Kagome's forehead, and she could feel it, very distinctly. "Sesshoumaru-sama…I don't…don't know what you're talking about…"

"Shut up, you disgusting wench! You hate it…with me so much? You brainless fool…You'd be stupid enough to even try to run? I should just kill you right now, you human bitch, I should've killed you a long time ago."

There was no more uncertainty in his voice, just anger. Pure, hurtful anger. And Kagome wasn't one to take it lying down, especially not now when she knew the source of it.

"Run…you mean run AWAY?!" Her heart still beating like mad, and rage to rival even Sesshoumaru's, Kagome leaned her head up towards her master's. "What are you thinking?! No, wait, I know what you're thinking…But why would you think that?! I wasn't RUNNING AWAY! How…how DARE you call me a brainless fool, a disgusting wench?!"

Red washed over Sesshoumaru's vision, and he was so livid he was having problems breathing through his clenched teeth. Forgetting his restraints, his feelings, he pulled his hand up high again, absolutely ready stab his claws into her chest, when something she said made it through the thick fog that seemed to be surrounding him.

"Sesshoumaru, I'm not going to leave you!" There was more than that, more padding and more sentences and more insults and comments, but that was the only thing that he heard, and it was enough to extinguish the fire that had been engulfing him. Hand still over her face, he stared down at her, searching her expressions and trying to read them even with all of the distracting emotion.

Kagome, who noticed the change of mood, wisely stopped her stream of yelling. "I wasn't running away…I promise, I wasn't…I just…when I fell back there, I dropped something…"

He seemed to be letting down a little, as far as the intensity of his expression went, but his poised claw still bothered her. Very cautiously she scooted back just a little, raising her hand and putting it gently over his.

Sesshoumaru's eyes darted from Kagome's eyes up to her hand, and his expression flitted from anger to shock to confusion to nothing and back again so quickly that she didn't know what to think.  

Appearing under control again, and the palpations almost completely gone from his chest and head, Sesshoumaru pulled away from his maid, standing and brushing himself off. Kagome followed suit, feeling safer but still unable to control the shaking in her hands that was caused by the impulsiveness of the attack, rather than the fear that Sesshoumaru would actually hurt her. Even with his poison claw at her throat, it was hard for her to imagine in her own mind that the youkai prince, cruel and merciless as he may be, would ever kill her.

They exchanged glances, Sesshoumaru looking slightly disgusted and disappointed, and Kagome looking like she had just run a marathon. She gripped her hand to her chest, closing her eyes after a few moments to recollect herself. 

"I…I almost died." She finally breathed out.

"It was of your own stupidity." The youkai prince replied calmly, in the process of pulling down his sleeve which had been rolled up during his rash attack.

"M-my own stupidity?" Kagome whispered a little harshly, hand shaking against her chest. "When you came up behind me…My heart…It stopped…"

"Don't be foolish. If it had stopped, you'd be dead."

"That's my point! I almost died…You could've given me a warning, called out after me, anything…"

Sesshoumaru didn't reply to this. He himself didn't understand the reason he acted like he did. He had almost completely lost control, something he did very rarely, and exclusively when there was no danger. And then, even in his blind rage, he couldn't bring himself to kill the girl…Even with her shouting insults, treating him with disrespect, talking to him as if she were somehow on equal grounds with him. 

Kagome decided she wouldn't push it. If he didn't want to say anything, fine. He had really frightened her for a moment there, when his eyes were so intense that they seemed to be turning red, when his cheek started twitching like that of an angry dog.

"Se…Lord Sesshoumaru-sama…May I go get what I had dropped earlier…?"

With a slight nod, Sesshoumaru brushed past Kagome, heading in the direction of where she had fallen only half an hour ago. Kagome knew that he would want to come with her, so he didn't argue. It might be a little embarrassing to tell him the origin of the coins, but, as long as she found them she didn't mind.

~

"It was around here somewhere, I remember…" Kagome was on her hands and knees, searching through the grass for the coins. Sesshoumaru stood to the side, arms crossed nonchalantly, just watching.

"You'd better not be lying about this, human."

"I'm not! I know, I fell right here, this MUST be where I lost them…" She reached out blindly in front of her, waving her hands through the dirt and shrubbery in hopes of feeling the cold metal.

"Mm…" Almost unconsciously, Sesshoumaru had been searching the area with his keen youkai eyes as well, eyes falling onto something that he could sense gleaming a few feet to the right of his maid.

In fact, he had caught sight of the glimmer at least ten minutes ago, but he wanted to see if the girl would be able to find it on her own. However, it was getting boring and almost pathetic as she had skimmed over the shining object at least five times, so he finally decided to point it out to her.

The expression that washed over her face was nothing short of relieved and euphoric. She scooped the three coins into her hands, staring down at them with sparkling, almost childish eyes. Sesshoumaru watched, only vaguely paying attention to the girl. His focus was actually on the shining objects she was grasping. It had taken him a few moments, but it suddenly occurred to him that they were coins, specifically coins that were used with the lower peasants, much too small and worthless to be used within his own castle. And then, in a few more moments, another epiphany hit him. He had seen those coins before…When he had been asleep, watching his maid get captured by Kouga. At the very beginning, she had been given a few coins by her mother. That she had kept them…

Without a word Kagome slept the coins back into the collar of her dress, standing and turning to Sesshoumaru, a wide smile on her face. "Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama."

He moved his eyes up to her, pausing before nodding curtly. Ready to get going, Sesshoumaru turned his back on Kagome, taking a step before she stopped him.

"…Ah…Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The youkai prince stopped in place, turning his head to face the girl. He just raised an eyebrow as acknowledgement of her question. 

"Ah…well…Inuyasha isn't here, so…Do you…well, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to take that walk…?"

~

"You're a different sort of youkai than the ones I heard about when I was younger."

Kagome and Sesshoumaru had been walking for a little while now, about random, meaningless sorts of things, when somehow the conversation had fallen upon youkai.

"Such as?"

"Well, I remember in particular one story I heard my mom once talking about…It used to go around the town that there was an evil demon who wandered around the forest at night, and he exclusively ate virgins, so…"

Momentarily Kagome could've sworn that she heard Sesshoumaru let out something not far from a laugh.

"…What?"

He shrugged calmly. "…And how would this youkai know who was a virgin?"

"Well…I don't know. Smell, right? Youkai's can smell that, can't they?"

Again, that sound. "…Hm." He looked somewhat amused, even with his trademark frown. "You do know what 'virginity' is, don't you?"

"Of course I do!"

"Virginity isn't something that can be…Smelled. It's a concept, more than anything else. Of course, if a youkai or human has just mated, there are signs that youkai can pick up better than humans, but…To say that a youkai can 'smell' virginity would be like saying that they could smell someone who's broken a rib…It's just a physical change. The breaking of the hymen…"

Kagome blushed. This was not the direction she was planning this conversation to take. To hear this kind of talk from someone like Sesshoumaru, was…

"What's wrong with you? You act as if you've never heard this before."

"It's not that! It's just…hearing it from you…'mating' and all of that…"

"All right, so what do you humans call it?"

Kagome swallowed hard, looking to the side and going over possible subject changes in her head. "So, what plans do y-…What plans does Lord Sesshoumaru-sama have for when we return home?"

It was a sad attempt, and Sesshoumaru normally wouldn't have fallen for it, but there was something that stuck out in his mind. "…Home?"

Realizing the choice of words herself, Kagome paused. "Well…it is Sesshoumaru-sama's home after all…"

"And your home?"

"Back with my family, of course…Oh, look…We made it back already." It seemed that the time had passed more quickly than normal, and before she even realized it, she was standing with Sesshoumaru in front of the temple.

"Mm." Without a second glance the youkai turned away from her, heading towards his own room. Kagome was tempted to call out to him, to say 'thank you' or something to that effect, but she decided they had talked enough for the day. It was almost too much for her to handle. And so, with a somewhat lighter heart and the coins safely back where they belonged, Kagome returned to her little chamber to finish that nap she started.

~

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

Kagome was sleeping peacefully, curled up on her futon, when she heard the sound of a hand knocking on wood. She sighed heavily, rolling over and opening her eyes wearily. "Come in…"

The door slid open, revealing Inuyasha, foot tapping and looking very perturbed. "You slept all day! It's time to go."

"Hm…?" Kagome sat up, indeed feeling as if she had just spent a whole day napping. She peeked out behind Inuyasha to see that the sky was already pure black, and the light wind blowing into the room was cold and even a little wet. "All right, all right…"

Throwing her legs off of the bed, Kagome stood up with only a minimal amount of post-sleep fog, stumbling over to the hanyou and pushing past him.

"Mm, where is…"

"Not here, let's go, we're already late." Inuyasha, with his arms crossed, stomped past Kagome and down the hall, leaving a more powerful air of annoyance than normal. 

"Mm…" With another little groan Kagome followed the hanyou, down the side of the building, around the corner, and into the large room where Kaede was waiting with Sesshoumaru.

"Finally, we're all here." Kaede gave a little wave of her hand, motioning for the three to follow her farther into the building. At the very end, a few feet away from the wall, was a low wooden table with four traditional pillows on each of its sides. After the old priestess had taken her seat, the other three followed suit, Inuyasha shifting around uncomfortably on his legs, Kagome looking shyly down at the table and Sesshoumaru looking unphased as always.

"So…You have something for me, I assume?" Kagome looked up when Kaede spoke, but looked down again when she saw the old woman's eyes on Sesshoumaru. He nodded slightly, pulling something from under his arm that Kagome hadn't even noticed was there, and pushed it out into the center of the table. 

It was the brown package that Sesshoumaru had received earlier from his father, and the first time that Kagome could remember seeing it.

"Hm." Kaede gathered the package into her arms and slowly pulled loose the piece of twine that was subduing the parchment. As if on its own the paper straightened itself out, pulling away from its contents and revealing it for them to see.

"What is it?" Inuyasha leaned over the table a little, trying to peer into Kaede's lap. Ignoring the question, she lifted it up and placed it onto the table, pushing it towards Sesshoumaru.

It was a skull. A very large skull. More specifically, it seemed to be the skull of a cow or bull, which Kagome presumed was a youkai judging from the intact fangs that were so large they jutted down below the chin. She shuttered silently to herself.

"This skull is…?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, examining it with only minimum interest.

"It is the head of a youkai that has been preying on young women for a few decades now. It previously lived in the forest outside a small village, just a few miles from here."

_Preying on young women…? It couldn't be…_Kagome stared intensely at the bone in front of her, trying to read its history in its slightly cracked and yellow cranium. It seemed Sesshoumaru had the same idea, as his attentiveness had been immediately peaked by the time she finished the sentence.

"So?" Inuyasha was less than impressed, turning his body to the side and placing his elbow on the table. "What does this have to do with my father?"

"Not much." Kaede pulled the skull towards her, lifting it off the table and placing it to the side. "It was just a formality. In order for a trade to occur, most sides must have something to give."

Inuyasha glanced at her, bored. "And what would an old hag like you have?"

"The shikon no tama." Sesshoumaru answered the question, looking over at Kaede. The old woman just nodded.

"Hm? What's that?" It was almost like Inuyasha tried to sound stupid. Sesshoumaru let out a little snort of disgust.

"Do you pay attention at all in classes?"

"Shut your mouth!" Inuyasha shouted across the table, ready to start up something before Kaede wisely decided to silence him before it got violent.

"This has very little to do with the youkai skull." Turning her attention back to Sesshoumaru, Kaede continued. "The reason I am giving your father this is because I trust him. And I know that he can protect it better than I can. You MUST make sure it gets to him. If it were to fall into the wrong hands…"

A cold chill unexpectedly went down Kagome's spine. She shivered a little, spinning herself around to stare back into the direction of the door. Suddenly, everything in her body was very, very cold, and she swore she could hear footsteps. "Is there something wrong?"

It was Kaede who had first noticed Kagome's strange behavior. The human girl kept on searching into the darkness behind the door, the hem of her dress gripped tightly in her hands. "…I think someone is coming."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at his maid's strange behavior, because if someone really were coming, he would have been able to sense it far sooner than any human could.

Kaede pressed on. "Are you sure?"

"I…Yes." Kagome continued staring, the cold feeling growing more and more powerful in her chest. "It's…"

Abruptly Sesshoumaru stood, focusing his attention on the door. He could smell it now. His maid had been right; someone was coming. Kaede and Inuyasha were on their feet soon after, staring expectedly at the door, waiting for someone; anyone. Tense with the heavy air that had just filled the room, Inuyasha momentarily glanced over to his brother. "Sesshoumaru, is it…"

"Naraku!" Kagome quietly breathed out, confirming their fears and bringing Inuyasha's attention back to the doorway. Naraku's silhouette was framed deathly still in the opening, so far down the hall that he was only an ominously dark shadow. But still, even at that distance, Kagome was almost certain that she could hear him…laughing.

~

"Naraku, what are you…" All of Inuyasha's instincts had been brought on end, his dog ears standing stiff and erect in the ephemeral youkai's direction.

"Just wondering what all the commotion was about." Naraku's silky voice echoed throughout the grand hall, as with incredible grace he glided forward, followed by the shimmering figures of his three maids. As they approached, Kagome became captivated with the little girl just a little to the side of Naraku. Her eyes were up, attentive, focused on Kagome's. She was glowing…A haze came off of her, like when the sun struck water, or when dust was abruptly blown off of a solid surface. For some reason, Kagome just couldn't take her eyes away. Kanna was looking at her; at only her, with such melancholy intensity that Naraku, Kikyou, Kagura, Sesshoumaru; the whole room just melted into darkness.

"Naraku!" She was suddenly brought to her senses by Kaede's scream, stumbling back into the table when she saw how deathly close Naraku's hand had come to touching her face.

Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side, next to him, hissing low under his breath. "What's wrong with you?"

Startled, Kagome looked back at Kanna, who was now staring blankly down at the ground in front of her, having lost the illusionary beauty that she saw before. 

"Naraku, leave here. A temple is no place for an unrest spirit." Kaede, with astonishing bravery, hobbled swiftly around the table to confront the dark youkai. "There is nothing here for you."

"Oh?" Naraku grinned smoothly down at the old lady. "But I believe there IS. The shikon no tama…I have heard of it, yes. My curiosity has already been peaked! Please, if you would be as kind as to…"

It was Sesshoumaru who stepped forward this time, facing Naraku at an equal height. "Leave."

"Intimidating, really, Sesshoumaru." Naraku glanced only briefly at the youkai prince, turning his attention soon after to Kagome, giving her a little grin that caused her to shrink further behind Sesshoumaru in fear. Sesshoumaru had noticed the look, and immediately raised his arm just slightly, covering his cowering maid from Naraku with his thick white robes. 

Naraku just snorted a little, turning in the other direction and taking a stride towards Inuyasha. The hanyou, who had up until now been staring exclusively at Kikyou, raised his claws and turned his head to Naraku. "Don't you take another step, or I swear I'll…"

"You bore me, Inuyasha. So tactless."

With an angry roar Inuyasha leaped forward, swinging his fist wildly at Naraku. He easily dodged the attack, letting out something not far from a giggle. "There will be plenty of time for this later, hanyou. Why don't you play with Kikyou until I'm done?"

Carelessly throwing a hand in the air, Kikyou stepped forward, drawing Inuyasha's attention away from Naraku. While Inuyasha was busy staring blankly at his empty maid, Naraku approached the wall that was on the opposite side of the table, placing a hand gently on it. 

"It's somewhere in here, is it not?"

Kaede stumbled towards Naraku, holding out a hand. "You mustn't…!"

"Quiet, hag." Without warning Naraku threw his arm to the side, striking Kaede down with amazing strength and swiftness. "If you won't tell me how to open it…Well, not a problem."

And with that, he plunged his fist through the wall, yanking it this way and that until all of the thick plaster (as of opposted to the paper that was used for the doors) was scattered along the tatami floor, leaving a decent sized opening. Kagome was shocked to see that he was right; there was something in there. Standing in a glass case on a short pedestal was a pinkish-purple jewel that sparkled from the dim candlelight that it was now exposed to. 

"Hm…" Naraku smirked. "It's beautiful."

Kagome, who had been watching the whole thing in amazement, was suddenly pushed to the ground as Sesshoumaru leaped forward with his claw outstretched. Naraku was caught just slightly off guard, and as such he just barely avoided the blow, jumping back.

"You…" He hissed, brushing some of the heavy black cloth restraining him to the side. 

Without a word Sesshoumaru dived forward once more, providing a more difficult opponent for Naraku than Inuyasha had ever been. Kagome stumbled to her feet, raising a hand over her mouth as she watched her master fight with the man she believed to be dead.

"Girl!" Kaede suddenly hissed, lying on the floor with her hand up to a bloody stain on her shoulder. "The shikon no tama! Get it!"

"B-but…"

"GO!"

Kagome quickly looked towards Inuyasha, who was stuttering something out to Kikyou, and then to Sesshoumaru, who was effectively distracting Naraku. Kagura looked just barely amused, eager to watch but obviously unwilling to actually join in on any of the fun.

Taking a deep breath Kagome followed Kaede's orders, dashing forward with shaking legs, and without looking back she prayed with all her might that she would go unnoticed pushed herself up into the hole. As she dropped down onto her knees she swung her head back to the hole, waiting. Nothing. Kagome breathed out heavily, relieved, and made it towards the glass case, gripping it tightly and pulling it smoothly from over the sparkling jewel.

Outside, Naraku had just noticed the dark-haired girl slipping through the wall. Frustrated and unable to take his attention off of Sesshoumaru he literally screamed out to Kagura. "Get the jewel!"

Kagura sighed heavily, unwilling and annoyed. "Fine, fine…" Half-heartedly she leaped onto the table, rearing back to dive into the hole in front of her when she was suddenly tackled down by a white streak. She tumbled for a few feet before pushing herself up and perching back delicately onto her legs, growling angrily at her attacker. "Sesshoumaru…"

~

Kagome was only a few inches away from the shikon jewel when she suddenly felt something digging deeply into her arm, yanking her back. She cried out as she came in contact with something soft, looking up to see Naraku grinning slyly down at her.

"Hello there, love." 

"Let go of me!" She hissed, realizing the desperateness of the situation. _I can't let him get it…_she thought anxiously, heart beating like mad. _I can't!_

With all the strength she possessed Kagome yanked her whole body to the side, reaching out farther and farther and farther, praying that somehow she would be able to reach the shikon no tama, praying that she would come in contact with the cold jewel.

Miraculously, she was able to give her body a little leeway as her arm slipped through Naraku's hands. He hadn't been expecting the resistance, and by the time he had tightened his grip and pulled her back towards him, she had somehow managed to grasp the powerful bead in her hand.

"How dare you…!" Eyes suddenly alive with fire Naraku poised a hand at Kagome chest, rearing back to plunge it into her. 

She saw it and instinctively closed her eyes in fear, doing the only thing she could in the situation. Gripping the shikon no tama so tightly she almost swore she could feel it break, she threw her hand out towards Naraku, and screamed.

~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGH!"

Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Kagura, Kikyou, Kaede, and even Kanna were distracted from their fighting by the bloodcurdling scream that was emitted from the room. There was a little shimmer, and then in an explosion of light a greenish yellow ray of energy burst out of the shikon jewel's chamber, filling up the temple hall and seemingly stopping time.

Silence followed the scream, and darkness followed the great swell of light. "What…what's going on…?!" Inuyasha muttered, finally having found the breath to speak. 

Sesshoumaru was alert and on his feet, looking this way and that but unable to see anything, even with his keen youkai senses. It was as if he were blind, swimming in darkness, unable to make it through to help…to help _her. The darkness now seemed to be gripping at his chest. That's right…She was in there. What had happened?_

"Nngh…nng…" There was a thud, a groan, and finally words. "K-…Kagura…Kikyou…"

Kagura was sitting on the ground just as blind and helpless as Sesshoumaru. "Naraku…?! Where are you?"

Kikyou stood silently to the side, observing the whole situation. She could see perfectly. She could see Inuyasha turning this way and that, she could see Sesshoumaru desperately trying to focus his eyes, she could see Naraku stumbling out of the hole with his hands clawing at his eyes, and she could see Kagome standing behind him with a look of astonishment. Soundlessly Kikyou turned to Kanna, who was glancing at the ground, with the same emptiness that she always had.

"Kanna…"

The little girl just nodded.

~

_What just happened…? _Kagome looked down at Naraku's twitching figure. The shikon no tama was still hot in her hand, and perhaps except for the ache in her arm she felt no different. Perhaps a little tired, but…

Then she saw Kikyou. The beautiful woman was totally unphased to the situation around her, waiting for Naraku's groaning to die down before she walked over to him. Kagura was blinking madly, as if there were something horribly painful stuck in her eyes, and Sesshoumaru was staring blankly down at the ground in front of him, his attempts at focus obvious by the creasing of his eyebrows. 

Kikyou stared down at the man, hate and anguish flickering in and out of her expression, before looking up at Kagome. The younger girl took a deep breath, opening her mouth to speak. "Ki…Kikyou…"

Kikyou didn't respond. With an expression now that was just a little tired, she walked over to Kagura, taking the youkai woman's hand as if she were a young child and leading her over to Naraku. Kagura growled low in the back of her throat, blindly searching through the sleeve of her maid's robe and pulling out a small white feather. With her teeth grit from the effort of trying to bring sight back into her eyes Kagura began to spin the feather around, collecting wind around it. A small tornado formed on her arm, and as it crawled down to her torso the figure of her hand melted away. Finally, in a great leap of strength a long curl of wind surrounded her, Naraku, and Kikyou, pulling them into the tornado until they could no longer be seen.

And then…they were gone. The wind died, dissipated, and left nothing in its place. Kagome watched in amazement. _How did she…? Wait, Kanna! She looked up in realization that Kanna must still be there, she must still be…gone? The place where Kagome had last seen her standing was empty. She frowned a little, delicately stepping out of the hole in the wall. __She must have walked out…I wonder where they went…_

"What the hell is going on?!" Inuyasha suddenly bellowed, swiping at the air in front of him. "Naraku, Kikyou…Where the hell are you?!"

"They're gone, Inuyasha." Kaede groaned, dragging herself over to the table, the blood stain on her shoulder having grown bigger since the last time Kagome saw it. 

"Gone…? Why can't I see?! Where's Rav-…"

"I'm right here, Inuyasha." Kagome said quietly, her voice bringing Sesshoumaru's sightless gaze up. 

"And the shikon no tama?!" He continued, inquiring nothing about her condition. Kagome just sighed.

"I'm fine, thank you…And I have it. It's right here." Kagome walked over to Kaede, helping her sit up on the pillow and rest her back against the table. "It's right here, Kaede…" She held out the purple bead, taking the old woman's hand and pressing it inside.

"Thank you, girl…" Kaede said with a shaky voice, crackling from pain and age. 

With that taken care of, Kagome crawled over to Sesshoumaru, a little hesitant to speak. "Sesshoumaru-sama…are you okay?"

"Hey…What about me?!" Inuyasha barked from the opposite side of the room.

Sesshoumaru's eyes swiveled to the sound of his younger brother's voice, opening his mouth to speak.

"Shut up, Inuyasha."

Kagome had said it all for him.

~

**Author's Note: **Hot DAMN this is a random chapter! All right. Few things. First of all. I totally totally TOTALLY did not spellcheck this. Well, I did, but not after page 9. Or so. The whole Naraku coming in, is totally NOT spellchecked. I'm just so tired and I want to go play Wild Arms 3 so I'll look it over after. Merry Christmas everyone! As yesterday was Christmas. Happy winter solstice to everyone else! Everyone get what they want?

And yeah, it was random. I kind of made Naraku my own character, since I haven't seen/read Inuyasha in FOREVER and I do not remember what he talks like. I remember he's evil, but that's pretty much the extent of it. My present to all of you is that this was a lot longer than I intended it to be. I could've cut out a lot. But I didn't. Even though I guess a lot of it ended up being random and just sort of useless. Ah hah…Sorry. Maybe I do put too much clutter. Well, I don't know…not going to worry over it. I'll try to start the new chapter soon! I THINK I know where I'm going…err…I think.

JAA, MATA NE!


	13. Chapter 13 Care For You!

**Author's Note: **Blah blah blah doesn't belong to me blah blah not mine blah no one's going to sue me anyway. ..Knock on wood.

~

"Kaede…are you feeling any better?" Kagome stood behind the few temple attendants who were busy tending to the gash that Naraku had clawed into the old woman's shoulder. She had a certain pained groan to her voice, but assured Kagome that she was fine and that she had suffered worse in her life.

Kagome nodded, looking over to Inuyasha who was sitting in the corner, still sightless and grumbling unhappily about it. "This sucks…" 

It had been maybe a half an hour or so since Naraku and his groupies had departed. Kagome seemed to have been the only one who came out of it with no problems, other than the inevitable bruising on her arm. Seeing that there was nothing she immediately needed to attend to, the maid walked over to Sesshoumaru and knelt by his side. The youkai prince had, until now, been sitting politely and silently to the side, having not made a noise since the last time his maid had come to check up on him. "Sesshoumaru-sama…Are you feeling any better? Is there anything you'd like me to get you?"

Kagome felt strangely maternal about the whole thing. She was so used to being cared for by the youkai lord; so used to him looking down on her, being able to do things that she couldn't do, that now it was strange and frightening to her that he was so helpless. "I could go get some tea…wait, could I?"

Without waiting for a response Kagome turned her body, looking back at the attendants that were swarming around the old priestess. "Kaede! Is there anyway I could make tea? Even to get hot water…Or maybe some hot cloths! Those always work when…"

"I'm fine." Sesshoumaru quietly cut into his maid's babbling, the world around him still a morphing black mass. He was curious to know the cause of this; why he and Inuyasha had been blinded and yet the old woman and the girl were completely unaffected. Of course it occurred to him that it must be something that crippled only youkai, but due to Kaede's current state she did not have the energy to explain, and promised them a proper debriefing the following day. Since the incident, his maid had been checking up on him almost every five minutes, hanging desperately on his very word as if he were terminally ill and on the brink of passing on. It was a strange feeling…He had never been treated that way before. He wasn't sure if he liked it, but it was an interesting change from the girl's usual reluctance to do anything that would potentially bring him amusement. 

"Are you sure…? If there's anything I can get you just ask!"

_Seven.__ Sesshoumaru mentally noted that number down. That was the seventh time she had said that. "Yes, I'm sure. Isn't there something else you could be doing?"_

The last part had come out instinctively. After any repetitive annoyance, Sesshoumaru had trained himself to be as cold and distant as possible, as to not be bothered. Usually, this was something that worked wonderfully for him, but the truth of the matter was that he hadn't particularly minded Kagome's attention and almost immediately wished he could retract the words. He couldn't see her face, but as she fell into silence, he could almost picture her wounded expression. 

"Oh…I'm…I'm sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama…" He could hear her stuttering, her voice become slightly more distant as she presumably stood up. Whenever she said 'lord' he knew that something inside of her, usually her pride, had just been damaged. 

He heard the rustling of her dress followed by a few footsteps, when a thought suddenly struck him. She wasn't very well going to go sit in a corner, or leave the building, so she would probably go talk to…

"I changed my mind." The youkai prince suddenly said. Her footsteps immediately stopped. "I would like you to go get me some tea." 

Sesshoumaru couldn't tell, but inside out Kagome was relieved. "Of course!" She replied all too peppily. "Kaede, would you…well, where is…"

"Yuu, would you please show our guest here to the kitchen?" Kaede pointed her shaky hand to a girl that was kneeling to the opposite side of her wound. Startled, the woman nodded, standing and bowing deeply to Kagome. "Please, if you would follow me…"

There was nothing very distinguishable about her; around 20 years old, a smooth, white face, traditional Asian black hair pulled back in a bun, and clothing that much resembled Kaede's. Kagome followed her out of the room, down the hall, and to a room that was remarkably close by. "Here is the kitchen…The tea is in that cabinet to the right, and the fire has already been started, right over there…Well, I'm certain that you'd know how to do this, so, I will return to Kaede-sama now…"

The woman certainly sounded rushed, but Kagome could see she was not at all trying to be rude. She was just worried about Kaede, that's all…Although, Kagome did have to wonder what she meant by the comment, '_I'm certain that you'd know how to do this_.' It wasn't an insult, really, but for some reason she could sense that there was some sort of hidden meaning behind it. 

_Ah! The tea! _Kagome kicked herself in realization that she was wasting precious time. She wasn't certain just WHY she considered it precious, but Sesshoumaru, in his time of 'need' had asked for something and it was her job to get it done! She started her work busily, searching in the aforementioned cabinet for a small packet of simple mint tealeaves, placing them to the side and filling the kettle that was sitting next to the hearth with water. With that she shuffled over to the fireplace, hanging the kettle handle onto the rod that would hold it over the flames, taking great care to keep her hands at a safe height. With the packet of tealeaves opened and the water well on its way to boiling, Kagome found herself momentarily without a purpose, left with only her thoughts. Those thoughts being primarily on Naraku, and on what had just happened.

The emptiness in the room suddenly struck her, sending cold chills through her body. She had been so willing and ready to do something, _anything _to help Sesshoumaru that she hadn't considered the fear that being alone might create. Unconsciously her mind mulled over possible scenarios. _What if Naraku comes back…? What if somehow he was able to regain his sight? What if he's waiting outside for me even now? He must be furious, and more dangerous than usual…_She now wished more than anything that Sesshoumaru was around. When he was by her side, she was safe. Even if he was blinded…

There was an abrupt, unfamiliar 'thud' outside the door, causing Kagome to jump a little. She whirled around in place, staring anxiously at the door, half expecting Naraku to magically appear with a bloody cleaver or Inuyasha's head or…_Kagome, you're being silly. She mentally scolded herself, taking a few deep breaths to keep the fear in check. __He's gone…Sesshoumaru is just a few doors away…Nothing is going to happen. And yet, even with the self-reassurance, every little noise became a footstep, every little crinkle became a maniacal chuckle, and sometimes, when things became too silent, Kagome had to stop herself from whatever she was doing just to hold her breath and wait for any hints of the imaginary threat. When she had finally calmed down enough to turn her back to the door once again, the tea kettle let out a loud, piercing shriek, giving her another unpleasant start. _

"Ah…ah…It's just the water…" She raised a hand to her chest, as if willing the beating to slow down by applying a little pressure. After she had calmed herself and the shaking in her fingers, the raven-haired girl grabbed a thin towel and with it wrapped her hands tightly around the handle of the screeching kettle, lifting it from the pole and away from the fire as quickly as possible.

With the dangerously hot container only a few inches in front of her, Kagome scuttled over to the counter, some drops of water sloshing out of the spout and making a low sizzling noise upon contact with the floor. In all of her anxiety she had thrown some amount of caution to the wind, subconsciously choosing speed over safety or efficiency. Relieved to finally have the weight lifted and the kettle rested safely on the counter, Kagome shakily went about pulling a small clay cup with sparkling glaze and a simple flower border from a shelf above the wooden sink. Grabbing the handle of the kettle once more, she tilted it over the cup, allowing the steaming water to pour in, pulling back only when it was on the brink of overflowing. She mentally kicked herself for the mistake. As she had been pouring, she was distracted by another sound (perhaps imagined) from outside, and temporarily took her attention off of the task in front of her. It would be dangerous for her to try walking back with an overflowing cup of hot tea, especially when she was as high strung as she was at the moment. So, with less care than she should have been exerting, Kagome wrapped two fingers around the cup and leaned her body to the side, tilting the cup and letting a decent amount of liquid out when…

"AAGH!"

The cup clattered into the sink as Kagome abruptly pulled her hands back, hot water sloshing out onto the counter and pooling on the floor. She hissed to herself, her fingers red and tender from the burning liquid. In the process of lowering the water level, she decided that she had been pouring it out too quick, and when she tilted the rim back a little the stream clung to the side and flowed down onto her fingers. 

"Oww..ow, ow, ow…" She bit her tongue, willing herself not to cry out too loudly, leaning the weight back and forth between her feet distractedly while waiting for the burning sensation to die down. "Stupid, stupid…"

"Hm."

Kagome whirled her body around towards the origin of the noise, her breath catching in her throat as she half-expected Naraku to be standing there. "Se…Sesshoumaru-sama!"

She let out the heavy breath, carefully shielding her fingers. "You…You surprised me…What are you doing here?" She asked sincerely, suddenly remembering his condition. "You should be sitting down! Has your sight come back, yet…? The tea will be ready in a second, I'm so sorry for taking so long, I just had…had a few difficulties…"

Sesshoumaru listened to her gibbering, somewhat pleased and somewhat concerned. He had come as quick as possible when he heard her yell, but being unable to see he couldn't assess the situation properly. True, she sounded all right…Physically, at least.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, I just accidentally dropped some of the water on the ground and it startled me…" Even though he was blinded, Kagome could feel her master's eyes boring into her, motivating her to pick the cup up from the sink and shakily fill it up with water again. She winced with every touch, biting her lip to keep from whimpering and alerting Sesshoumaru to the pain. Opening up the packet of tea leaves and sprinkling them into the steaming cup, Kagome turned her head to Sesshoumaru and said in a voice that was more strained than she would have liked, "If…if you'd like to go back and wait, I'll be out in just a minute…I'm sorry to worry you, Sesshoumaru-sama, especially in your current state…"

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?" Sesshoumaru stepped into the room, straining his senses to try and draw out a mental image of the area. Kagome immediately stiffened up. "Nothing! I didn't mean it like that…I mean, that as in, I didn't mean that Lord Sesshoumaru-sama is any less intimidating than usual…No, wait!" She could feel the heat rising to her face, turning back to the cup of tea and swirling the water back and forth mindlessly. "I didn't mean…that…"

"What is _wrong_ with you, human?"

"Nothing!" She repeated the word a few times, all too eagerly. "It's done now, so let's return to th-OW!"

_Damn! _She mentally cursed to herself, hopping up and down and kissing her fingers gently. She had been so busy being flustered that she had temporarily forgotten about the pain, and in her haste to get out of the uncomfortable situation, she grabbed the burning cup tightly in her hands.

Sesshoumaru took another step forward, eyes focusing on the black blob that was moving up and down in front of him. "You have five seconds to tell me what's wrong with you. I'm losing my patience."

Kagome could feel her cheeks burning in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama…" She felt like such an idiotic distraction to him, and suddenly wished she were somewhere else, where she wouldn't be such a bother. "Really, I am…I burnt myself a little, when I was pouring the water, but…"

"Put it under cold water."

"…Huh?"

He sighed heavily, deciding he would have to take this into his own hands. Stepping up to his maid he gently took her wrist. "Where's the sink?"

Surprised and growing even more nervous, Kagome took a small step towards the wooden sink. "It's…right here." With his maid's guidance, Sesshoumaru was able to find the faucet and turn on the water, checking its temperature with his free hand.

"Do you know nothing? It's this hand, isn't it?" The youkai prince reached around Kagome, cradling her left hand in his own. She nodded a little, stuttering. "Y-yeah…"

With that, Sesshoumaru leaned her forward a little, holding her burnt hand under the stream of water. It stung a little at first, but slowly and surely the cool torrent began to soothe the raw skin. Kagome was surprised with the gentle way Sesshoumaru cradled her hand, and with the sophisticated way he was handling himself, even with little to no vision. The blush continued to burn powerfully on her face as she stared down at their hands. Sesshoumaru looked over to her face, his gaze meeting only darkness, and momentarily wished he could see her expression. "Sesshoumaru-sama…" She unexpectedly spoke, the mix of sound and darkness vaguely surprising him. "Do you think…Naraku will come back? Tonight?" She sounded so meek and helpless that Sesshoumaru's temporarily forgot about the burn. "No." 

Kagome felt somewhat relieved to hear that from him, even with her relentless insecurities. "Thank you…Sesshoumaru-sama." 

~

"Why didn't I get any tea?!" Sesshoumaru, Kagome, Inuyasha and Kaede were are sitting around the table, Sesshoumaru sipping his tea, Kagome rubbing her hand gently, Inuyasha leaning over the table to yell at the poor human girl, and Kaede still being tended to by two young women.

"Because you didn't ASK for any, Inuyasha." Kagome sighed, a bit irritated. Her anxieties had been put at rest, though. It was just good to be around a crowd again, no matter how small or impaired.

"Yeah, well, you're a maid, aren't you? It's your job to get things for us. Feh…Can't even do that right." He rested his elbow down onto the table, crossing one leg over his opposite knee and 'looking' to the side.

"No. It's her job to get things for _me." Sesshoumaru delicately placed the cup of tea back down onto the table. Kagome restrained herself from speaking, just rolling her eyes in frustration. _

"Girl, why you put up with these two, I just don't understand." The last few servants finally dispersed from around the old priestess, scuttling out of the room and leaving the foursome to chat.  Kagome couldn't help but smile, turning her body to Kaede. "It's harder than it looks."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, but foreseeing the interruption Kagome held her hand out towards him. "Shut up, Inuyasha."

"Well…" Kaede pushed herself to her old, tired feet, hunching back a little to crack out some of the aches in her spine. "We all seem to be tired, so I think it's time we all headed off to bed."

The trio followed suit, standing and heading down towards the exit. "Kaede…" Kagome said, stopping to speak with the old woman in the doorway. "What are you going to do about the hole in the wall? If you'd like I could stay and clean things up…"

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha paused outside, listening to the conversation. "No, child, don't you worry about it. It's been an eventful night, and you need to go get some sleep."

"No, really, it wouldn't be a problem…Or how about I stay with you in case you start feeling worse? Or maybe I should go stay with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, since they're impaired and they might need sight…"

"Oh get going, girl." Kaede placed a shaky hand on the maid's arm, pushing her towards the direction of her lonely room. "Naraku won't be coming back, so go to bed and we can talk more in the morning."

"What are you so worried about? Blind or not, I could still take Naraku on! I'll know if he's coming, so nothing is going to happen to you." Inuyasha yawned, speaking with a rough, deeper-than-usual voice. Kagome found some comfort in the promise, knowing that it was indeed the truth. Besides, she had been able to feel Naraku's presence before even Sesshoumaru, so she doubted she'd be caught off guard.

"A-All right…Good night…" Kagome gave a shaky bow, turning and walking quickly towards her room, not daring to look back. As much as she wanted to stay with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, she knew she would just have to bite the bullet and face her fears. They were right, and she knew it. Naraku wasn't coming back. Naraku wasn't coming back. _Naraku__ isn't coming back._

She slipped into her room, letting out a deep breath and closing the door behind her. "That's right…" She told herself. "Naraku isn't coming back."

"He's not?" A voice behind her innocently questioned.

Kagome let out a sudden bloodcurdling scream.

~

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were just about to enter their room when the high-pitched scream pierced through the darkness. It didn't take a youkai to hear it; it seemed like it rang miles into the forests around them.

Inuyasha, his ears twitching in immediate response, turned his head to his older brother. "What was…"

However, Sesshoumaru was already gone.

~

Kagome was clutching desperately to the wall, her eyes wide in horror and pinpointed to the man sitting behind her, sweat dripping down her forehead and her chest heaving up and down with her loud, heavy breaths.

"K-K-K-K-K-K-K-Kouga…!!"

The wolf prince was sitting calmly on Kagome's futon, one leg crossed over the other, much as Inuyasha often did. "What happened to you?"

Abruptly the door snapped open, the sliding frame slamming into Kagome's knuckle, causing her to reel back in surprise and pain. "ARGH!"

Menacingly looming at the door, claws tense and ready, was Sesshoumaru, his expression calm but his eyes alight with intensity. "…Kouga."

The frightened, injured, confused, startled, heaving Kagome looked between the two of them, rubbing her throbbing knuckle and feeling very woozy from the fear she had just experienced. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was too stunned. Her jaw just hung open like that, eyes wide and hands very literally trembling with the impulsiveness of the scenario.

"Yo. Sesshoumaru." Kouga flew a two fingered salute in the youkai prince's direction.

"Oi!" Inuyasha's face popped in behind Sesshoumaru's. "What's going on? Is the wench all right? Who's…" He lifted his head a little, taking a tentative sniff. "…Kouga?!"

"Eh?" A look of disgust crossed Kouga's face. "Dog breath is here, too?"

"What are you doing here?" Sesshoumaru asked sternly, his eyes temporarily darting to the side, to where he presumed his maid was. She hadn't moved, certainly, but she was hardly paying close attention to what was going on, as she felt she was about to black out. 

Filled with indifference, Kouga flipped his thumb in the direction of the door. "We sensed all the commotion and decided to come check it out. Then when I caught scent of her…" His thumb was now pointed at Kagome. "I decided to come in for a visit."

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, of course, couldn't see any of this, and as such remained silent. Kouga caught the uncomfortable pause, raising an eyebrow at the brothers. "What's wrong with you two?"

Still, the youkai and hanyou said nothing. Kouga saw the hopelessness of this situation, and as such decided to look for the human for advice. He was rewarded with a very hard, very angrily thrown clay pot in the face. It did not shatter, but just temporarily crushed his nose, then dropping heavily down into his unexpecting lap. "OW!" 

Kagome was on her feet now, hands tensed into claws at her side. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" She very nearly bellowed, surprising the wide-eyed wolf youkai with its strength and intensity. 

"You can't just sneak into someone else's room! You just scared me half to death! Do you realize my heart stopped for a little while there?! Who do you think you are?!"

The room fell into silence. Even the sightless Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had been able to accurately pinpoint the human girl's location, visibly shocked with the audible display. Kagome's shoulders heaved up and down ominously, and if there had been anything else in the room she could uproot and throw at the wolf, she would've done it.

Wrinkling and unwrinkling his nose, Kouga finally found it in him to let out a little cough, raising his hand and rubbing his bruised face. "You've still got it in ya'…"

Even more upset by the comment, Kagome jut her lower jaw out in a gesture of her frustration.

Kouga nonchalantly pushed the slightly cracked vase from his lap, letting it fall to the floor and roll away with a 'thud.' "Now, I have to admit, I was a little afraid that Sesshoumaru might…"

"It's time for you to leave." The aforementioned youkai stepped into the room and to the side, leaving the leader of the wolf clan a large, obviously hint that he was no longer welcome.

Wisely yet reluctantly, Kouga stood to leave, realizing that there was no way he could go against the wishes of Sesshoumaru, to whom he already owed a large debt. "Well, it was really her I came to see, but I suppose it can't be helped…"

In the blink of an eye Kouga was in front of Kagome, her hands grasped tightly in his. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay long…But I promise I'll be back to see you soon. Don't forget my promise to you. We'll meet again soon."

Kagome's anger had almost immediately been extinguished by the act, replaced with confusion and even a little embarrassment. "…Eh?"

Before Sesshoumaru could let out a territorial growl, Kouga had flashed the girl a suave little salute, dashing out of the room and disappearing into the darkness in a vortex of thick blue wind, his two groupies peeking their heads out from behind some trees before bumbling along behind him.

There was a very heavy silence left lingering in the room. Inuyasha's head swung from the direction of the forest to the direction of the room a few times, eyes darting this way and that as he desperately tried to analyze the situation. "What just happened?!" He suddenly belted out. "Promise?! Did wolf breath touch you?!"

Kagome raised a hand to her forehead, gently applying pressure onto the temples. "Inuyasha…"

"What are you all doing out here?!" An old, tired, angry voice suddenly barked out at the trio. Kaede had been just about to rest down to sleep when she had been awoken by the scream, and begrudgingly she had come out to see what was going on.

"This is NOT a slumber party! There will be no loud, unnecessary noises at MY temple! Out! Out! Out!"

Inuyasha turned to her, fangs bared. "You're kicking us out?!"

"Out of this room I am! You need to go get some sleep! And I swear, if there's even ONE more thing, I will kick you out!"

The hanyou growled, hanging his shoulders and dragging his feet as he left, looking like a young child who was just scolded by his mother. Kaede shook her head in exhasperation, pulling her robes tighter around her and hobbling out behind Inuyasha.

"Faster, boy, faster!" Kagome could hear Kaede prod at Inuyasha, rewarded with his loud whines. "Stop your nagging, hag!"

"Phew…" Kagome let out a heavy sigh, stepping out of the room to meet Sesshoumaru. He was looking down at her with his normal unmistakable authority and superiority. She shrunk away some, slipping past him. "I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama…I…I didn't see him, and when he startled me, I really thought that it was Naraku…"

Much to her surprise, the youkai prince just let out a little shrug, looking away. "I see."

They stood there like that for a little while, before Sesshoumaru let his shoulders down again, turning his body and taking a few steps away. "Ah…" Kagome had swirled her body towards him, a cold wind suddenly bustling past and sending her thin black dress swaying to the side, piercing through the material and making her body shiver. 

He paused, turning his head to the side in acknowledgement of her. "Would…Would you like to stay with me…?" She turned her head to the side in embarrassment of the question. "I mean…just for a little while."

Sesshoumaru turned his body a little more, his eyes focusing on the black blob that was her face. Silently, he made up his mind, and nodded.

~

"It's a game that I used to play when I was younger…" Kagome was standing in front of Sesshoumaru, who was sitting down on the stone of the temple edge, his feet placed on the grass in front of them, indicating where the building ended and the forest began. 

"Everyone would stand in a circle, with one person in the middle…" She spun her hands around her, indicating the imaginary circle surrounding her. "And they would sing a song, while everyone danced around. When the song ended, the person in the middle had to guess who it was standing behind him."

Sesshoumaru listened with amusement. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh…" Kagome stopped spinning, looking up at the sky. "Nothing, I suppose. I guess you wouldn't have played it, growing up in the castle…"

He didn't say anything. Kagome had started off the conversation by asking about whether the skull Sesshoumaru had brought to Kaede could be the virgin-eating youkai she had told him about earlier. He had replied with an 'I don't know,' and it ended there. Seeing that that wasn't going in any direction, she had asked him where he had grown up, and he curtly replied that it was in the castle. So, she told him it must've been great to grow up in a big place like that, with something to do all the time. Again, nothing. She was sitting down by his side, looking to the side uncomfortably. The crickets kept on chirping, the wind howled through the trees, and Sesshoumaru acted as if he didn't even know she was there. And so, to fill in the emptiness, Kagome began idly humming. The youkai's eyes swiveled in the girl's direction, and upon realizing she was under scrutiny, she had commenced to explain to him the origins. But now, with nothing more to say and nothing more to bring up, she was at a loss. 

_"Kagome Kagome  
Kago no naka no tori wa  
Itsu itsu deyaru  
Yoake to ban ni  
Tsuru to kame ga subetta  
Ushiro no shoumen dare?"_

She hummed the words without even thinking of them, as she had heard them so many times as a child that they came as second nature. She had always been teased about having the same name as a children's game, and her mother had even sang it to her as a lullaby.

Sesshoumaru just listened, wondering what had gotten into her. Sometimes she just acted so strange and unpredictable that he preferred to just listen to what she would say next, rather than to say anything himself. It did bother him, though…Kagome. Kagome, Kagome, Kagome. He had heard it before. It was in that dream…Was it because she had been playing this game? Or maybe foretelling tonight? The strange vision he had had earlier that day was just becoming hazier and hazier every minute. At the time, it had seemed so real, but now, like any dream, it was disintegrating and floating away into nothingness.

Kagome saw that her master was distracted, and sighed in defeat. Trying to converse with him wasn't really going anywhere. Giving up on the venture, she sat down a few feet away from him, resting her cold hands into her lap.

_This was a bad idea…I should've just gone back to my room and shut my mo-…_

"It wasn't all that interesting, really."

Kagome sat up with a start, looking over at Sesshoumaru. "…Eh?"

He sighed, exasperated. "Growing up in the castle. It wasn't all that interesting."

"Oh…really…?" Kagome crossed her arms tightly over her chest, pulling her shoulders close together, her eyes opened wide as she stared down at the ground in front of her. "Still…it's hard to imagine you as a young child at all…"

A little surprised by that comment, Sesshoumaru moved his eyes in her direction. The sight was slowly coming back to him, although the improvement was tough to detect in the middle of the night. "What do you mean?"

"Ah…oh, well…" She blushed a little, pulling her shoulders up next to her ears. "Are you going to take over the castle after your father?"

"If I want to, I suppose." His voice completely lacked expression or emotion, a mannerism that Kagome was begrudgingly becoming accustomed to.

"Well, do you want to?"

Sesshoumaru thought about it for a little while. It had occurred to him, yes, but no one had really ever asked him. Even his father has kept the question to himself, even though every once and a while it was subliminally hinted at, like when he was invited on political outings. Inuyasha was the favored son and Sesshoumaru realized this, but he also knew that his father was not so stupid as to leave Inuyasha in charge of his land. "I suppose. I don't really have any other plans."

"Hm…You'd be good at it." Kagome noted, feeling a little less embarrassed about saying something like that. It was, in fact, the truth. There was an expecting silence, and Kagome knew that this time she wouldn't be able to change the subject out of this one. "You're…just good at taking care of things." _…Like me._

"It's more than just being 'intimidating.'" He stressed the last word, recycling it from the last conversation they had had, when she had told him that he wasn't 'any less intimidating than usual.' She shrunk back a little. "Well…If it's Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm sure he can master any challenge placed in front of him."

_Lord Sesshoumaru-sama.  _He thought with a little amusement. It's that damaged pride again. 

"Well!" She said all too eagerly, suddenly springing to her feet. "I believe I've taken up enough of Lord Sesshoumaru-sama's time." With a spin of her body, Kagome bowed politely for her master, eyes moving up to keep focused on his somewhat empty face. "Thank you for staying up with me."

He followed suit, looking neither pleased nor disappointed. As was accustomed for him, he turned and walked away without a word. Kagome smiled a little, watching his retreating figure. She realized she had never heard him say 'Goodbye' before, and she wouldn't be surprised if the words had never even once passed his lips.

A heavy gust of wind pushed by her, causing her to turn her body back into the direction of the open forest. The cool, swirling air around her seemed almost refreshing now, and she let her previously clenched arms droop down at her sides. The air was clean and cool, the crickets were chirping methodically in the background, and she was overcome by a warm, complete feeling of everything being right in the world.

_Everything is right in the world…_She repeated the words in her head, stepping out onto the grass-riddled ground, her socks soaking up some of the very early morning dew. It was well past midnight now, and she figured that it wouldn't be too long before the sun rose. _Maybe everything is right in the world…_She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and just letting the sensations wash over her. _That's right…If I'm not with mom and Souta, the only place where everything is okay is with Sesshoumaru…_

The wind blew past her again, in the opposite direction now, causing her hair to split and tangle in front of her face. She opened her eyes, letting them rest nostalgically on the ground in front of her. If she listened hard enough, it was almost like she could hear her family again. Her father, her mother, her grandfather, Souta…All the children she used to play with when she was young…In front of her mind's eyes, she could see them spinning around her, chanting and dancing without any cares in the world.

"Kagome Kagome  
Kago no naka no tori wa…"

The wind died down.  
"Itsu itsu deyaru?"

Her hair rested down on her shoulders.  
"Yoake to ban ni  
Tsuru to kame ga subetta…"

Sesshoumaru silently pulled his eyes away from the girl's spinning figure, a large portion of his sight having miraculously come back to him in the past ten minutes. Without a word he disappeared behind the temple's cold wall, leaving her to dance alone.  
 "…_Ushiro__ no shoumen dare_?"

~

"Well, it's good to see all of you up so early." Kaede hobbled down the long hallway, bright with the rays of the morning sun that shone through the open door. Not only did it let in the light, it also let in the early morning breeze that seemed to bother only Kagome. The lack of sleep seemed to only be affecting her as well, and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. While waiting for Kaede to arrive she had drooped forward and almost let her head fall onto the table multiple times, earning herself strange looks from both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha.

"I'm sure you all want to get straight down to business." She kneeled down when she had reached the pillow in front of the table, taking a few seconds to get herself adjusted. In the pause, Kagome felt it would be polite to ask about her condition.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me…Which reminds me, what about you two?" The old priestess switched her gaze from Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru answered the question before Inuyasha had the chance, glancing up at Kaede. "It has returned."

"Well, that's good…And you, girl? Did you survive the night?" Kagome was startled by the unexpected question, looking up at Kaede in a fluster. "Oh…Oh, yes! I'm just fine."

"Hm." The priestess responded, with some extent of resentment lingering in her voice. "Even after all that fuss you caused last night."

Kagome blushed, hanging her head down. "I'm sorry, Kaede…"

"Well…Nevermind that. Now then, about the Shikon no Tama…" She turned her head to Sesshoumaru, suddenly looking very serious. "I would still like you to take it to your father."

Inuyasha looked at the old woman, a questioning look crossing his face. "Eh? But what about Naraku? He'll probably try to get it again."

Kaede nodded. "Yes, that's true…However, if it is left here he will only come and terrorize this temple, where there is no protection." Reaching into the sleeve of her robes, Kaede pulled out a small black box, placing it onto the table in front of them. "I will trust your father to know what to do with it. From now on, it will be under his discretion."

Ceremoniously she pushed the gleaming black box in Sesshoumaru's direction. He accepted it, just as soberly, pulling it towards him and placing it onto the plush tatami floor at his side. "Now then." Kaede began. "I'm sure your next thought is what happened last night."

The three of them looked expectantly at Kaede, waiting for a long, detailed, drawn out explanation of the mysterious powers of the Shikon no Tama, and what effects it held on youkai and youkai alone. So, it goes without saying that her response surprised them.

"The truth is…I don't know."

Impulsively, Inuyasha slammed his hands down onto the table. "What? What do you mean you don't know?!"

"Calm down, Inuyasha!" The old woman shot back. "I mean it just exactly as I said it. I don't know. This temple has housed the Shikon no Tama for centuries, but still, its powers and mysteries are almost completely unknown to us." Her voice became much duller, as her one eye swiveled in the direction of Kagome. "I don't know why this girl can harness it. I only know of one other person who has ever been able to use it as a form of defense, and even then…It was hardly comparable to what you all witnessed last night."

Groaning as she shifted her body, Kaede moved her damaged shoulder this way and that. "It's strange, yes, but hardly something you should be complaining about. If Naraku shows up again you'd better hope that you've got her nearby, because as you should know by now, he's not a force to be underestimated."

Silently, Kagome wondered why it was that Naraku was staying in Inutaisho's home anyway. If he had as much power as everyone was suggesting, why couldn't he just find some property of his own?

"Is that all?" Sesshoumaru's smooth, calm voice cut through the confusion, as he politely collected the black box containing the Shikon no Tama. Kaede looked at him, her eyebrow questioningly raised. 

"Yes…Yes it is."

"Wait." Kagome suddenly said, sitting up and looking intently at Kaede. "What is Naraku?"

The old priestess appeared shocked by the question. "What…what do you mean?" Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had also turned their questioning gazes in the young maid's direction. She shrunk a little under their combined scrutiny.

"Well…You said last night that a temple was no place for 'an unrest spirit'…" She muttered, embarrassed. Kaede frowned. "Naraku is nothing more than a physical soul…Left over from the hate and anguish of mankind, born in the field of battle…" Kagome listened, amazed by the story. Inuyasha sighed heavily, resting his elbow down onto the table and dropping his chin into his hand. Sesshoumaru just looked like Sesshoumaru.

"So…so they _are_ real." Kagome said matter-of-factly, appearing deeply disturbed by the revelation.

"What do you mean, _real_?" Kaede asked her tentatively. "Naraku is not real in the sense of a heartbeat, or in the sense of requiring breath. He is a physical entity, yes, but he lives off the corpses of others."

Disgusted by the thought, Kagome winced. "So he can raise the dead?"

Again, a questioning, confused look crossed Kaede's face as her eyebrow lowered. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean…"

Kagome glanced over to Sesshoumaru, and then to Inuyasha, who were watching her with the same uncertainty. Did everyone know something she didn't? "Oh…Oh, nevermind…"

Sesshoumaru carefully watched his maid, his eyebrow raised. He realized that there was no way she could know about Naraku, but even he was somewhat confused by the meaning behind her last question. 

"Anyway…Please, if there is nothing more, bring this to your father right away." With that closing comment, they all rose to their feet, Kaede's eyes closely following Kagome as she sheepishly moved to Sesshoumaru's side. The old woman watched with a heightened level of interest as the girl stayed close to the seemingly cold and uncaring youkai's side, without even the slightest hint of fear or intimidation. 

"Thank you, Kaede!" Kagome whirled her body towards the priestess, bowing deeply. "For everything!"

"It was no problem." Kaede smiled despite her thoughts, waving her good arm back towards the trio. "You three take care of yourselves, now!"

"Don't you worry about us, hag." Inuyasha called back, nonchalantly waving his hand into the air, back still turned to the old woman. "Naraku doesn't stand a chance."

Sesshoumaru remained Sesshoumaru, saying nothing and not even sparing a glance back. And with one last goodbye, they were gone.

~

"Uwaaaa!" Kagome hopped out of the carriage, stretching her arms out as far and wide as they would go. _It feels great to finally be out of there…!_

Inuyasha hopped down out of his own compartment, looking a little sleepy, and in a few more moments Sesshoumaru gracefully lowered himself down after his maid. They had made it back to the castle, with no incident. The Shikon no Tama was safely by his side, and there were no signs of Naraku waiting in ambush. Kagome was just relieved to be back. It had only been two days, but they were two very, very long days. She was, however, surprised to see how much the land around them had changed. The trees were considerably grayer than usual, and the normally flourishing flora was wilting and losing its green glow. Without warning, winter was coming.

"Well…are you coming?" When Kagome had finished examining her surroundings, her eyes fell upon Sesshoumaru, who was standing expectedly at the door. She nodded energetically, quickly walking towards him, and meeting him at the entrance.

He looked down at her, questioningly, allowing her to slip into the castle before him. _Now things can finally get back to normal…She thought warmly to herself, taking a deep breath and absorbing the familiar surroundings. Sango, Miroku, Shippou…There were so many people she wanted to talk to! _

Sesshoumaru stepped in, silently shutting the door behind him. He watched as his human maid looked this way and that, examining the interior of the hallway as if it were her first time there in years. Yes…It was hard to believe she had only come here a month ago. Things just moved so quickly nowadays. She turned back to the youkai lord, looking up at him with those large, innocent eyes of hers, obviously waiting for him to proceed. Sesshoumaru had to forcefully hold back a grin.

_Yes. Back to normal._

~

Yaaay! :D I'm so happy I got done with that totally random chapter filler. I did get some things done though, concerning Naraku and the Shikon no Tama. Now I can return to the fluffy cute relationships, like Kagome's friendships with M/S/I and to her relationship with Sesshoumaru. Kouga will come back soon too…and…yeah! I think I got a lot out of the way! I know nothing really happens in this chapter, even for a whopping 11 pages. T_T I trust you, things will get back to par, soon.

Everyone, thanks for reading! I hope I haven't disappointed you…Suggestions and the like are always welcome, by the way! Oh, and don't even worry about Kagome. I know she's totally out of character. It has nothing to do with her never being in this situation, it's all about me not having seen/read Inuyasha in a long, long, long time. I watched it the other day and I realized that I made Kagome into someone I wanted her to be, not who she really was. T_T And I really, sincerely apologize for that. I'll try, but…I guess I'd be better off just keeping her MY Kagome from now on. Come on…It's my first fic…I think I'm allowed some room for mistakes.

One more thing. There really IS a child's game in Japan called 'Kagome,' which you may or may not know about. I decided to use it in Japanese because I believe it's much, much prettier in Japanese, and easier to understand. But here's the translation.

Kagome, Kagome

When will the bird inside the cage

Come out?

At morning and night

When the crane and turtle slipped

Who is behind you?

That's pretty vague though. I could translate it literally, but it gets confusing. T_T Especially "Ushiro no shoumen dare?" Ushiro means behind and shoumen means front. If you THINK about it, it makes sense. It's referring to the person who is in front of your back. You know? Yeah..

JAA, MATA NE!


	14. Chapter 14 How Dare You!

**Author's Note: **Blah blah blah doesn't belong to me blah blah not mine blah blah WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS! Once per story, not every bloody chapter...

~

Kagome delicately lowered herself into the steaming, welcoming water of the large round wooden bath, sighing at the revitalizing feeling. She stopped only when her chin had been partially submerged, her hair spreading and floating around her. Serenely, the tired girl shut her eyes, letting the feelings overtake her. Sesshoumaru had entered his own bathroom only a few minutes after they had returned to his room, and finding the idea appealing, Kagome had snuck out to the servant's bathing room, quickly stripping down and getting in. At first she was surprised to see that there was no one else there, but then it struck her that it was only a little past noon, when most of the maids had jobs to complete. It was a welcomed silence, though, and she was happy that she'd be able to have some time to herself without having to worry about Naraku.

"Raven-chan!" A squeal behind her shattered those thoughts, causing her to whirl in the bath, sending some water up over the edges. "S-Sango-chan!" Kagome replied happily, a large smile springing to life on her face.

Sango smiled back, temporarily turning to the door, waving a hand. "Go AWAY, Miroku."

Kagome couldn't see past her friend's figure, but she did hear a little curse, and could sense that the perverted man had been looming in the door. There was a moment of silence before Sango turned her body completely, marching to the door and placing her hand on the knob. "I said OUT!"

"But, San-..."

Before he could finish his sentence Sango slammed the door in his face, an accomplished smile on her face. "There!" With that, she undressed as well, stepping into the bath next to Kagome. Much as her friend had done just minutes earlier, she sighed happily, her face growing a little red as result of the warm water.

"So, Kagome-chan, how have you been?" Sango asked her, reaching back and untying her hair, letting it fall loose around her.

"Ugh..." Kagome just groaned a little, sinking down a little more. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you..."

Sango followed suit, letting her shoulders lower down beneath the water. "Does it have anything to do with Naraku?"

Opening her eyes wide, Kagome turned her head to the youkai exterminator. "You...How did you know?"

Sango smiled a little. "Don't you remember? We know everything that goes on around here. Well, that, and Kagura and Kanna hadn't shown up the whole day that you left, which was a good enough hint that Naraku had gone somewhere."

The younger girl sighed heavily, dropping her eyes closed once more, and commenced to explain all that happened to Sango. When she had finished her story, her older friend just stared at her in a sort of surprised disbelief. "W-wow...Kagome-chan, are you all right...?! I mean, for you...for ANYONE to try and fight Naraku..."

Again, Kagome sunk down lower into the bath, her eyes narrowed. "It wasn't by choice..." She grumbled unhappily. Suddenly overcome by anger, Sango pounded her fist down onto the wooden rim of the tub. "Something must be done about him!"

"What can we do?" Kagome sighed, turning her gaze to her friend. "I mean, I don't even understand why he's in this castle in the first place..."

"Well, he owns it." Sango looked displeased, unclenching her fist and resting her palm down against the wooden bath's side, flexing her shoulders back. Surprised, Kagome set up. 

"He owns it? You mean, this building?"

Sango nodded. "That's why he stays here. And that's why he's so rich. All the men and youkai staying here, with the exception of Lord Inutaisho, must pay him fees."

"Why doesn't Lord Inutaisho...?"

"Lord Inutaisho is Naraku's protection. As intimidating and powerful as he is, Naraku is still a weak shell. He is an unstable youkai with more enemies than, arguably, any other living thing I have ever heard of."

Kagome was still a little confused, leaning forward in the water. "But then...Why does Inutaisho continue to protect him? Why couldn't he just take over castle and get rid of Naraku if he needs the protection?"

There was a moment of silence as Sango thought about it, and finally, she shrugged. "I don't know...All I know is that it is a mutual relationship. Naraku provides Inutaisho with the living space, and in return, Inutaisho protects Naraku from his enemies."

_That doesn't make any sense..._Kagome mulled it over in her head, taking a deep breath and temporarily submerging her whole head under the water, floating there for a few moments. _Does that mean Naraku has something on Inutaisho...?_

When she emerged again, Sango was standing and preparing to get out of the tub. "Hey, Sango..." Kagome brushed back her bangs, following Sango out of the comfortable water into the cold, dry air. "If you find out anything else, could you tell me?"

The youkai exterminator nodded, tossing a towel to her friend. "Of course. Same goes for you, all right? And...watch out for Naraku, okay...? He hasn't come back yet, but, when he does...I'm afraid that..."

Realizing what Sango meant, Kagome smiled reassuringly, wrapping the towel around her body. "Don't worry, Sango-chan. As long as Sesshoumaru is around, I'll be fine." _I have bigger problems to worry about, anyway. _She mentally added, Kouga's image suddenly popping up in her head. 

Still looking concerned, Sango gave her a little nod, turning her back to her friend and wrapping the wet tips of her hair in the towel, throwing the bundle onto her shoulder and then commencing to get dressed. Kagome ruffled her own towel through her own soaking wet hair, frowning at the way it became stringy and fell down in front of her eyes. Sango disappeared out the door, returning a few seconds later with a clean set of clothes for Kagome to put on, collecting the old ones from off the floor. Pulling her clothes on, Kagome then waited for Sango to hand her the wooden comb that she had been using earlier. Pulling the tangles out of her hair, Kagome finished the job in a few minutes, dipping the comb in the water, placing it back onto the cabinet, and meeting Sango at the door. She accepted her dirty clothes into her arms, but first remembering to pull up her hood, readjusting it. "Where are you going now, Sango?"

The older girl pulled the towel from around her hair, following Kagome's example and pulling her hood up. "Let's stop down at the wash room. You need to bring those down anyway, right?" She nudged her hand to the side slightly, indicating the clothes in Kagome's arms. 

"Oh...All right." Kagome nodded her head in agreement as they both stepped out of the room, their voice lowering to whispers to keep from behind heard by the few people, maids, men, and youkai, who passed by them.

"After that, how about you come back to my room for lunch? You look so pale!" Sango asked her quietly, the only outward indication that she was speaking being the way she tilt her head just slightly in Kagome's direction. Kagome hesitated. "Well, I didn't exactly ask permission from Sesshoumaru to come out here..."

As they descended down the stairs towards the washroom, Kagome suddenly realized she hadn't eaten since yesterday. With the whole issue of the trip and then Naraku and then tending to Sesshoumaru and then Kouga and then sleeping and then talking to Kaede and then the trip back home she had hardly had time to think about her stomach. However, now that Sango had brought it up, it's emptiness suddenly became painfully obvious.

The pair loaded their dirty articles into the big bin of soapy water, and returned back in the direction they had come from. "So, what about it Kagome-chan?" Sango whispered to her friend, placing her hands on her shoulders.

Still hesitant, Kagome asked Sango just where Miroku's room was. Sango gave her the detailed directions, and even though Kagome had just hardly retained them, she promised Sango that if she got permission from Sesshoumaru she would meet them in a little while. Reluctantly, her friend accepted the compromise, and waved Kagome a goodbye when they had to separate on the second floor.

Kagome hurriedly rushed back to Sesshoumaru's room, slowing down at the door, opening it, and quietly slipping in. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

She looked around, surprised to see no signs of her master. "Sesshoumaru-sama?" She walked towards the bathroom, but it was empty, no signs of him being there other than the warm air leaking out of the room, presumably from his earlier bath.

_Hm...I wonder where he went..._She quickly checked on his desk, not finding a note or anything that might tell her where he went. Not that she was surprised. He wasn't the type to leave notes. Suddenly, she pounded her fist down into her palm. _The Shikon no Tama! He must be delivering it to his father!_ She hesitated at the desk, not sure what to do. _I did promise Sango that I would meet her if I could, but...I don't know when Sesshoumaru-sama will be coming back..._

Kagome looked around one more time, stepping out of the room and examining the halls. No signs of him. It was risky, but she decided that she would go to Miroku's room. It wasn't only the promise; she was so hungry she could hardly stand it. She returned to the second floor, where she and Sango had separated a few minutes earlier, and pondered over the directions she had been given. Going in the direction Sango had said her room was in, Kagome scaled down the halls, mentally repeating in her mind; second hallway to your left, right, then left again, then pass three carved doors, go right, and the fourth...or was it fifth door on the left? It had only taken five minutes, but Kagome knew. She was desperately lost.

_Was it third door to the left? Where did I go wrong? _Feeling frustrated and angry, Kagome paused and gave herself a moment to recuperate.  She had never been this 'deep' into the building, and it seemed amazingly more expansive on the inside than it did on the outside. At some point she had made it to the third floor, as when she stopped to look out one of the windows, she was surprised to see that she was much higher up than she intended to be. With a whine, she leaned against the wall, her stomach grumbling. _I'm so hungry..._

A sound down the hall alerted Kagome from her thoughts. She could just barely make out the sound of talking somewhere around the corner, and was able to distinguish the low register that belonged to her master. _It must be Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho..._Feeling suddenly curious, Kagome swiftly walked down the stone hallway, stopping at the corner. The voices were only a little distance away, but she didn't dare to try to look. What surprised her was that the person talking to Sesshoumaru wasn't Inutaisho, as she had first imagined, but a _woman_. 

"Awww, but Sesshoumaaaaaaru..." The woman nearly moaned. "I was hoping I could stay with yooooou..."

Kagome winced at the drolling, high tone of the woman's voice. _Who is this person...?_

"Yura, I don't have time for this." Sesshoumaru sounded exactly like Sesshoumaru usually did.

"But Sesshoumaaaaaru, I came all this way just to see you!" She whined, peaking Kagome's curiosity. Who was this woman, and why was she talking in such a way to Sesshoumaru? 

"Yura. Let go." Sesshoumaru's voice had risen in intensity. Something shot through Kagome, causing her chest to tighten up. _Let go...? _Throwing caution to the wind, Kagome peeked her head out to see what was going on. _E...eh?!_

Clinging tightly on to Sesshoumaru's arm was a scantily clad woman with short, straight black hair, thick red eye shadow, a headband of red ribbon, and the shortest 'skirt' that Kagome had ever seen. On her hands were fingerless gloves, and the strips of cloth that Kagome was hesitant to call actual clothing just barely concealed the woman's considerate bosom, a large line of cleavage fluctuating as she rubbed her body not so subtly against Sesshoumaru's arm. 

Kagome grimaced to herself, eyes narrowing. _What is this...this...whore doing with Sesshoumaru-sama?!_

Something flashed in Yura's bright red eyes, as they momentarily flicked in Kagome's direction. Surprised and caught a little off guard, the human maid pulled her head back around the corner, heart suddenly beating. Had Yura seen her?

_Damn...Better get out of here, Kagome..._

Sesshoumaru noticed the temporary glance, and just barely caught sight of the black flash as it disappeared around the corner. He watched the area for a few seconds, expectantly. _It couldn't have been..._

"Hm." Yura disengaged herself from Sesshoumaru, gracefully strutting down the hall, looking around the corner. "Now I wonder where she went..."

Her eyes trailed the length of the hall, concluding that it was highly unlikely that the girl had managed to run fast enough to have made it that far. She must've snuck into one of the rooms on the side. 

"Maa...I suppose it doesn't really matter." In one swift, effortless motion, she turned around, only to find that Sesshoumaru was no longer there. "Damn."

She cursed to herself, crossing her arms and raising her hand to her chin, trailing her red lips with one long finger. "Well, he can't keep away forever..."

~

"Raven?"

Kagome jumped with a start, whirling her body around. "Sango-chan! Miroku!" She let out a big puff of breath, leaning her back against the door she had just swung open and snapped shut behind her. In her haste to conceal herself before Yura or Sesshoumaru could find her, she had snuck into the room without even considering that it may be occupied. _What an uncharacteristic stroke of luck...!_

"Are you all right? I thought you wouldn't make it! You look a little out of breath..." Sango and Miroku were sitting at a square table in the middle of their surprisingly small room. There were two futons placed on opposite sides of the room (understandably), a small desk in the corner, and the even smaller wooden table a little ways off from that. What caught Kagome's attention, however, was that on that table was a delectable feast to her eyes. Bread, meat, fruit and wine were cluttered on the shiny gloss wood, calling out to the starving human maid. 

"Ah!" She hopped over to the table, sitting down at the side nearest to the door and grabbed a piece of bread, stuffing it in her mouth without hesitation. 

Sango and Miroku just stared. "Er...help yourself..."

"You know..." Kagome mumbled between bites. "This is the first real luck I've had since I..." Swallow.  "...got here!"

Sitting up and reaching over, Kagome proceeded to grab an apple, dropping it down in front of her and not-so-gracefully stuffing the last little piece of bread into her mouth. Had she not been mumbling and gorging herself, she might have noticed the gentle creaking and rustling behind her. "I mean..." She pounded her own chest with her fist, taking only a small pause before taking a large bite out of the apple. "Knowing my luck, Naraku would burst in..." Swallow. "Right here and now, y'know?"

Miroku and Sango exchanged hesitant glances, suddenly looking quite anxious.

Kagome continued, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Well, I suppose you guys wouldn't understand, but really, there's just something about yo...ukai..." She had finally had the presence of mind to glance up, only to see Sango apprehensively staring at her, straightening her hand and moving it back and forth across her neck in a slicing motion. Miroku was just smiling stupidly, his eyes flicking from Kagome to the air behind her. 

Still clinging to her naïveté, Kagome nonchalantly turned her head to look behind her, only to swing it back towards Miroku and Sango the moment she saw what was standing there. Pursing her lips to keep from cursing, she tightened up her shoulders and slammed her fists down onto the table, the platters shaking ominously. _Dammit!_

~

"So first you spy on me and then, without permission, you enter this man's room?"

"I wasn't spying on you! And you were the one with that...that...that weird woman! I just HAPPENED to see it!"

"You had no right leaving in the first place."

"You didn't tell me I couldn't! And I haven't eaten in at least two days!"

"Don't you _dare_ take that tone with me, human."

Sango and Miroku watched uncomfortably as Kagome and Sesshoumaru bickered in front of them. Kagome's face was tinted a little red from embarrassment, and while Sesshoumaru looked no more upset than usual, his voice was loud and threatening.

Slapping her hands down on her knees, Kagome let out a drawn-out, melodramatic sigh. "Of course, you're right, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama." She hissed through clenched teeth. "I don't know what this humble maid was thinking, and it will never happen again." She lowered her head before him in mock humility, only further sparking his rage.

Miroku sat up a little, clearing his throat and looking ready to speak. In a heartbeat Sango had grabbed a piece of bread from off the table and stuffed it forcefully into the lecherous man's mouth, causing him to gag and shoot his 'maid' an angry stare. Sango just returned the look with a hundred times the intensity, inaudibly warning him not to say or do anything. 

Sesshoumaru regarded the outside nuisances with a tad of disgust, violently grabbing his maid's arm and literally dragging her out of the room, ignoring her gasp of surprise as her dress began to bundle up at her waist. Once he had pulled her far enough out to shut the door, he did so, the resonating 'slam' making the silence all the more noticeable. Kagome was blushing furiously, pulling feebly at the arm that Sesshoumaru was grasping onto, unable to conceal her now exposed legs as she was using the other arm to keep herself propped up. "Sesshoumaru...!"

He didn't even look down at her, never mind respond. Deciding to trust her weight to the youkai lord, Kagome pulled her free arm from under her, reaching down to grab the hem of her dress. Exasperated, Sesshoumaru lightly sighed, jerking the girl up with the smallest flick of his arm. 

"OW!" Kagome managed to drop down and regain balance back on her feet, but she felt as if her arm had just been yanked out of its socket. "Keh..." She flexed it back and forth, leaning her head to the side to try and stretch out the sore area.

"I trust this won't happen again." Sesshoumaru said coolly, looking the girl up and down. Kagome just scoffed, carelessly turning her still flushed face to the side. "...Of course not, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama..."

He raised an eyebrow, following her angry gaze to the empty wall, then back to her face. "...Good. Then let's go."

"Go...?" Still somewhat bitter, Kagome refused to look at him. "Go where?" Unexpectedly, something warm touched up against her cheek, causing her to widen her eyes and spin her gaze to him. The very tips of his claws were resting gently on the skin of her face, even as his face remained perfectly cold and stoic. 

"You said you were hungry, weren't you?" And with that, he leaned forward a little, grabbing the hood that hung down her back in his hand and abruptly pulling it up and over her head, concealing the top of her suddenly very red, very surprised face.

~

"Where...where did all this food come from?!" Kagome raised her hands to her mouth, surprised but nevertheless pleased with the spread before her. At some point a low table had been brought into Sesshoumaru's room, and on it had been placed plate upon plate of delicious food. The meal she had briefly shared with Miroku and Sango was absolutely nothing compared to this.

"I had it called in while you were out associating with perverts." Sesshoumaru said coolly, waltzing over to the perfectly square table and sitting down on the far side. Kagome followed him, but stayed standing for a few moments, just looking it all over and cringing a little at his earlier comment about Miroku. Apparently, his lecherous ways were well known.  

"But...who brought it in?" Kagome was a tad skeptical, as it looked like the youkai prince had another few maids stocked away somewhere to do all of this work. Sesshoumaru let out an annoyed sigh. "I do not know if you have realized this, human, but we are not the only two living things in the castle."

Kagome pursed her lips together in an angry frown and sat down, concentrating on the plate in front of her. "I'm not the one who has problems acknowledging others..." She muttered, not exactly expecting him to let the comment slide, but rather having said it just because it was the first thing to come to mind.

"Oh? Fine then, I don't mind eating alone. In fact, I prefer it."

Kagome answered the threat immediately, humbly bowing low in her sitting position. "Thank you very much for this food, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, it is more than I could have ever wished for you are the embodiment of kindness and I am not worthy of eating in your presence!" And with that she grabbed the utensils lying in front of her, stuck the fork deep into the leg of the baked bird in the center of the table, ripped it off and placed it down onto her plate, wasting no time in digging right in. 

"Hm..." Kagome looked up at the little noise, which sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Sesshoumaru sat there, eyes narrow, with a wide smirk on his face. She blinked stupidly one or two times before looking down at her hands and realizing she was nearly ripping the meat apart. The blushing Kagome adjusted the position of the utensils in her hands, to a much more polite and civilized manner, and proceeded to delicately slice bit by bit off of the leg in front of her. 

"...Mmhm..." That sound again. But this time it was unmistakable; Sesshoumaru was _laughing_. Surprised, Kagome looked back up, a deeper blush staining her cheeks. He by no means looked happy, as such a thing was decidedly impossible for the man, but there was no doubt in her mind. He had been laughing at her. Confused and more than a little embarrassed, Kagome jerkily moved her gaze from her plate to the youkai in front of her, wondering what she was doing that was so amusing. 

"...Hmhmm..." He turned his head to the side, raising a hand to casually cover the large grin that was spreading across his face. Kagome was absolutely speechless. She had never, not even once, heard a laugh from Sesshoumaru before. Sure, he scoffed a lot, he smirked, he sneered, but never once had she really seen him amused to the point where he'd let out any sound deeper than a quiet little 'hm.' It was welcome, really, since Kagome always received a warm feeling of real joy whenever she elicited a reaction or face out of him that she had never seen before, but this time she wasn't even trying. _What...What the devil did I do wrong...?! _

It was just too much for Sesshoumaru. Her blushing, empty face, the way she did things without thinking, the way she committed serious offenses with a bright smile or puffed out cheeks. It was just too much. It was a very, very, very blunt sin for a servant; no, for a human to eat before a youkai. In reality, it had little to do whether that human was a servant or whether that youkai was a prince. It was a silent symbol that youkai were on the top of the food chain, and although not written in any books, Sesshoumaru had grown up with the belief that it was common knowledge. What really set him off, though, was that he was doing nothing about it. That he was who he was: cold, unemotional, uncaring, and brutal, a merciless killer, and still she did these totally normal and childish things around him, even with the perfect knowledge of his reputation. In a sickly ironic sort of way, it was funny. He dared to move his eyes back to her, only to return them to the wall in a second. She was examining her silverware and food to see if there was something wrong with it that might explain his strange behavior. All right, scratch what he thought before. It was very funny.

Kagome puffed out her cheeks, in the way that Sesshoumaru knew she would. "Fine! I give up! What is it?! What did I do?!"

The youkai prince closed his eyes and calmed himself, once more forcing control over his expression. "You really are the densest thing on the planet, aren't you?"

Ashamed and somewhat hurt, Kagome's face flushed red in its entirety. "I...well...no...I..."

"Human, do you realize that picking up your utensils, never mind eating, _especially _in the way you just did, before a youkai, _especially _one of my social status, is an offense punishable by death?"

Kagome knit her brows together, looking down at her food, then up to Sesshoumaru, then to the food, then to Sesshoumaru. "Well." She said matter-of-factly, "That's a stupid rule."

Sesshoumaru had to purse his lips together to keep from grinning again. "Besides..." Kagome continued, totally unaware of the reason he was finding this so funny. "What _isn't_ punishable by death to your standards?"

"For someone who's still alive, you're making a lot of fuss." Sesshoumaru pointed out, finally bothering to reach in front of him and retrieve some food for himself. Kagome just blushed again.

_There's nothing I can say to that, really..._Mentally, she cursed at him for being right. It's not that she regretted being alive, quite the contrary. But the truth of the matter was that he could kill her anytime, in any way, for any reason, and the chances are no one would question him about it. Again, she reminded herself that she was a possession. A thing. She wasn't even a human. She was less than human, and that really stung.

And so, obediently, she set her utensils down next to her plate and waited, her hunger taking a backseat to her embarrassment. Looking pleased by the act Sesshoumaru commenced to slice his food and delicately raise it to his mouth, chewing on it politely and without emotion, the way he did most things. Kagome still hesitated, suddenly feeling very awkward and not knowing what to do. She felt like she needed to wait for some sort of approval before she could start, or else she would just end up being 'the densest thing on the planet' again.

But he didn't give her any permission. Not for five minutes after, not for ten minutes after. Kagome angrily grinded her teeth together, knowing that he was just doing this to torture her. _What are you doing, Kagome? _The human girl scolded herself. _There's no one else here but you two, he can't do anything to you. Stop being such...such...such a stupid human!_

And with that she grasped her fork and knife and plunged them into the meal just lying on the table, waiting to be consumed, and confidently stuffed that food into her mouth. Sesshoumaru temporarily glanced up, but other than that said nothing, telling Kagome that she wasn't in any serious trouble. For now, at least.

"Nee...Sesshoumaru-sama...?" Kagome carefully said a little while into the meal, her once empty stomach now starting to feel content. 

"Hm?" He responded to his name with just a little breath of air, not even sparing a glance up. Kagome ignored his token rude and distant behavior, continuing. 

"Did you give your father the Shikon no Tama...?"

"Mm."

Kagome idly swirled the water around in her glass, watching as light glimmered over the surface.

"Nee...Sesshoumaru-sama...?"

He sounded a little aggravated this time, his response tense and quick. "Hm?"

"Why do you think Kaede sent the Shikon no Tama here, where Naraku could easily get his hands on it...?"

"Naraku wouldn't be stupid enough to try and steal from my father."

"Oh..."

There was a 'tap' as Kagome lightly placed the glass of water down onto the table, searching over the food with her eyes. She wasn't all that hungry anymore, really...

"Nee...Sesshoumaru-sama...?"

Frustrated, the youkai lord smacked his hands down onto the table, causing all of the plates to vibrate slightly. "Dammit, girl, can't you see I'm trying to eat?"

Kagome could do nothing but pout angrily and droop her shoulders down, looking meekly down at her lap, upset by the angry response. "Hmph...Fine then...Forget it..."

The air immediately became thick and heavy with the angry silence. Sesshoumaru's lip twitched uncomfortably a few times before he dropped his utensils down onto the plate, surprising Kagome with the tight metallic noise. "Fine. What? What is it?"

The huffy human servant interlocked her fingers and pressed them down into her lap, keeping her gaze away from Sesshoumaru by absentmindedly smoothing out her dress. "Nevermind. I certainly won't tell you _now_..." 

Sesshoumaru growled, sitting up a little. "You obnoxious little..."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome looked up at the noise of someone knocking on the door. Simultaneously, they exchanged glances. The youkai nodded just slightly, silently giving his maid consent to greet whoever was there. Kagome obediently raised to her feet and rushed to the door, reaching out to grab the doorknob when...

"Sesshouma~ru!" A feminine voice cried out just as the door snapped in, the heavy wood flying in and nailing an unexpecting Kagome right in the face. "Argh!" She cursed loudly to herself, stumbling back against the wall and immediately bringing her hands to her nose, the close and heady pain causing tears to sprout to her eyes. "Son of a..."

"There you are, Sesshoumaru!" The woman cooed, gracefully hopping into the room, if such a thing was possible. 

Sesshoumaru had stood the second he saw his maid reeling in pain, the situation only made worse by the fact that the intruder was no other than Yura. The unaware woman finally seemed to take notice of Kagome's presence, innocently turning and regarding the wincing human. "Oh...Oh! It's you! The little spy from earlier!"

The 'little spy' shot her angry gaze up to the scantily clad youkai, her teeth clenched from the effort it took to keep from crying. She was surprised her nose hadn't started bleeding with the force the door had struck. Luckily, or maybe not so unluckily, her forehead had taken some of the brunt as well, telling her she would have a nasty little bump the next morning.

"So tell me, little spy, what are you doing here?" Yura said condescendingly, only sparking deeper feelings of dislike in the human girl. 

"She is my maid, Yura." Sesshoumaru kept on glancing at Kagome, subconsciously checking if she was all right, although he had calmed for the most part. 

"Your maid?" Yura said the words as if they were foreign to her tongue, pursing her bright red lips together in confusion. "How uncharacteristic, Sesshoumaru! A lot has happened since I've been gone, hasn't it?" Not even waiting for a response, Yura strutted over to the girl, looking her up and down as if she were some picture on a wall. "Not all that attractive, is she...Short, dull hair, childish eyes, pale skin, not all that intelligent looking..." She tilted her head a little, looking under Kagome's bent arms. "Hm...Doesn't seem to have much to offer in THAT department, either...Not to mention she was spying on us..."

Kagome's jaw dropped. _What...How dare...Talk about ME like that...I swear I'll...! _Her fists clenched and twitched with rage. She was not accustomed to taking crap like that from anyone. Even Sesshoumaru had a little bit more style.

"Yura, what are you doing in my room?" Sesshoumaru sensed his maid's welling anger, which worried him. Although Yura was relatively harmless, she had the bitter vengeance of a youkai woman, and for Kagome to say anything out of line could cause some serious problems. 

She just ignored the question, turning away from Kagome and beginning to examine some of Sesshoumaru's other possessions. "You know, if you want a better one, I'm sure I could find one for you. There are tons of them just lying around my house, it wouldn't be a problem." As she spoke she walked over to Sesshoumaru's bed, leaning over and pressing her hands down into the soft blankets. "Oh! It's just as soft as I remember!"

Kagome tensed up her shoulders, glaring lividly in the dreadful woman's direction. _How...How can Sesshoumaru just talk about me like that?! She has them lying around? What? Girls? Humans? This is just too much. And...'As I remember'...?! What is THAT supposed to mean?! _She turned her head to Sesshoumaru, but he refused to look at her. His expression didn't reveal much, but it was just barely tight enough to let Kagome know that he was feeling rather frustrated himself. Yura made her way around to the stand that was decorated with the vase of flowers, examining them closely. "Hm." She said dully, flicking the head of the flower with her femininely long-nailed finger and watching one soft white petal float gently to the ground. Sesshoumaru immediately stepped forward, suddenly looking extremely offended. Those flowers 'meant' a lot to him, for one reason or another, and she could insult his stupid, empty-headed maid all she wanted, but for her to touch the most important thing in his room...

Mouth agape, Kagome twirled to him, one hand still cupping her nose. _She completely treads on my spirit and my race, and he's upset about the damn FLOWERS?!_

"Well, Sesshoumaru." Yura said, crossing her arms (resulting in an advance in her distractingly obvious cleavage) and turning to the youkai lord. "I must say, I'm disappointed."

"Fine. Then leave." Sesshoumaru practically demanded, stepping to the side and providing the woman with a clear, defined exit. Yura feigned ignorance, spotting the small table full of food and giggling happily. "Oh! How quaint!" She hopped towards the table, kneeling down on the pillow that Kagome was occupying and looking over all the food. "It's nice to see some things about you never change, Sesshoumaru!" She chirped, reaching over the table and grabbing his glass of wine, taking a long, sensual sip. "Mm...You never did like dining with others. But...then whose place is this?" She asked, a sort of typical naivety playing falsely on her face. Sesshoumaru sighed heavily, as he was not in the mood to put up with the obnoxious woman's advances at the moment.

"That's _my_ place." Kagome daringly claimed, stepping forward and trying to look impressive, even though her voice was high and nasally because of her previous incident with the thick wooden door.

"Yours?" Yura snorted it out, glancing over at the human with a heightened level of disgust in her voice. Kagome blushed at the tone, suddenly realizing that she may have made a mistake. She could bend Sesshoumaru, but Yura was a woman with absolutely no hidden compassion, and she might get herself in serious trouble. Sesshoumaru noted the evil glimmer in Yura's eye as well, deciding to humor her for now. She couldn't stay forever, after all...

~

Kagome stood uncomfortably still by the side of the table, fulfilling some of Yura's more inane demands, and very nearly driving the poor human girl out of her mind. If she survived this visit she vowed never to complain about Sesshoumaru again. Ever. However, she had to admit that what bothered her the most were the little offhand comments that Yura would make about past experiences with Sesshoumaru. Now, Kagome was no genius in the matters of relationships, but she could accurately guess what those comments were hinting at, and she didn't like it.

Yura laughed obnoxiously, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, leaning forward a little to reveal herself to Sesshoumaru. "Ooooh, Sesshoumaru, I missed you so much! I can even forgive some of your more...discouraging changes."

_Oh, spare me. _Kagome thought bitterly to herself, rolling her eyes all too obviously. Quite unexpectedly Yura stood up, brushing by the human as if she wasn't even there and collapsing down onto Sesshoumaru's large, fluffy bed. The youkai lord said nothing, absolutely infuriating Kagome. "C'mooon, Sesshoumaru! Join me!" She called out, rolling onto her stomach. Inwardly, Kagome gagged, turning her head to hide the intense wince on her face. 

"Yura, I think it's time for you to go." Sesshoumaru said calmly. "I have some work to do." It was a lie, or at least Kagome thought it was, but it seemed to be enough for Yura. She attempted a strongly sexual pout, rolling off the bed and pushing herself to her feet. "Fine...But that excuse won't keep me away forever!" She piped, shaking her finger in his face. "I'll be back for you later!"

Without too much of a fight she skipped over to the door, turning back for a few moments to stare deviously at Kagome, something frightening flashing across her gaze. Kagome felt a shiver go down her spine, accompanied with the feeling of relief that came with the obnoxious woman's departure. 

The two stared expectedly at the door until it snapped shut, at which point they looked at each other. Kagome's cheeks had tinted red in anger, and all of his kindness with providing her a meal was swiftly forgotten. "She...you...I...and...and you...!" She muttered out, finally lowering her hand from her nose. Sesshoumaru looked unphased, but his insides were reeling at the girl's quickly bruising nose and her suddenly dangerous air. "She just...How could you let her say those things about me?!" She snapped at him, momentarily forgetting her place on the social ladder. 

"She can say whatever she wants." Sesshoumaru replied, eyes narrowing. "You are just a stupid human after all."

Sesshoumaru didn't like being wrong. He was very rarely ever wrong. He was realistic, he was observant, and he was, for the most part, totally unconcerned with what others thought. But he could admit when he made a mistake, and that was a mistake.

Tears welled in Kagome's eyes as she stepped back, her foot bumping up against the door. "Oh...Oh, of course! I'm just a stupid human, so what should it matter?! She's got thousands just lying around in her basement, so why don't you get one of them, huh?! I don't care! I might as well be dead than be here, right?! It probably wouldn't matter to you!"

Sesshoumaru was taken aback by the intensity and emotion of her screaming, and by the tears that threatened to drop down her cheeks. _Why is she so upset...? I've called her a stupid human before..._ "You really..." She begun, her voice suddenly five times softer. "Like a woman like...like her?"

He was surprised by the question. Why did something like that matter to her? "What?" He coolly responded, stretching himself to remain his stoic façade. "Are you suggesting someone like you is better?"

_No! _Kagome told herself, infuriated. _It's not that, it's just... _"I don't even care!" She heard herself say, whirling her body to the door to hide her face. "I don't care what you do, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama. I'm sorry for exploding at you before. I was out of my place." Her voice absolutely dripped with bitterness, even if the words seemed sweet. "And I hope you will find it in your grace to forgive this humble servant. It will never happen again."

Sesshoumaru wasn't really sure how to respond. He knew that women had intense mood swings, but this was more than he could have anticipated...What was wrong with her? _Why does this bother her so much?_

"Fine." He said slowly after a little while of deliberation. "I'll trust your word on that." His deep voice cut through all of the human girl's emotions, leaving them with nothing but a sort of dull disappointment and hurt. For some reason, she felt betrayed by the man, even though she knew that he owed her nothing. "Now..." Sesshoumaru waved his hand towards the table, looking at a blank spot on the wall. "Clean all of this up."

~

The next few hours were Kagome coming in and going out with plates and food and rags and towels. It was a hard task, as she was not trained to handle a lot of silverware at once, and with a decent amount of food still left, it was too heavy for her weak wrists to carry. Sesshoumaru sat at his desk scribbling away at some documents the whole time, leaving the pair in silence. Not that either minded, though, especially not after their previous argument. 

Finally, Kagome had managed to return all the dishes to the kitchen, leaving her only job wiping up the table. She wasn't sure what she would have to do with it after it was clean, though, since she had never seen it before and didn't know if it had a place in the room or if someone had to come and retrieve it. Yura had said he liked to dine alone, so it would seem logical that it would go somewhere, but...

With the rags hung over her shoulder, Kagome placed her hands on her hips, looking around. Sesshoumaru hadn't said anything to the contrary, so she supposed she would just leave it there. As long as there weren't any orders she wasn't going to go out of her way to please him.

Hearing nothing, not even his maid's footsteps or the clatter of wavering plates, Sesshoumaru turned in his seat, looking at the human girl as she stared questioningly at the low wooden table in front of her. She seemed to be deep in her own thought, and even though his sadistic side wanted to order her to carry it down the two floors from where it came, he knew that she wouldn't be able to handle the weight the 10 feet out of the room, never mind two stories.

He regarded her for a few more moments before turning back to his documents, frustrated. No matter how hard he tried to work, it just seemed impossible to get her words out of his mind. Why did Yura have to be such a pain?

As if on cue, the door swung wide open, revealing the aforementioned youkai woman, looking as cheerful and malicious as ever. "Oh, Sesshoumaruuu! I've come back for you, just as I promised!" 

Skipping right past Kagome, she lunged to the youkai prince, grabbing his arm and energetically tugging him from his chair. "C'mon, c'mon, let's go for a walk. The moon is soooo beautiful..." She drawled. "And this room is just sooooo stuffy, don't you agree?"

Instinctively, Kagome puffed out her cheeks, catching Sesshoumaru's eye. He couldn't help but grin a little, revenge coming to mind. "...All right."

_Hmph...! _Kagome turned away from the pair, marching over to the desk and busily beginning to put things in order. _I'm his maid. That's it. I don't care what he does with Yura or anyone else! It's not my business. All I have to worry about is doing my job and getting out of here as soon as possible. _

Without another word from the two, other than Yura's giggling, Kagome waited until they left before letting out a deep breath and leaning against Sesshoumaru's chair. This was really too much stress for her, emotionally and mentally, and someday she swore that these conflicting emotions would send her to her untimely end. She did feel better, however, every time she told herself she didn't care. _Why worry about what a pompous brat like him does anyway? _She reminded herself, feeling satisfied with the silent insults. _You'll be out of this place soon enough, and you'll never have to worry about him again._

Kagome was jarred from her thoughts by a knock on the door. She looked up, startled. _What? They're back already?_

Taking a few moments to regain her posture and straighten out her hair, Kagome waltzed to the door, confidently gripped the doorknob, and swung it open. At first she saw no one, confused until she had the presence of mind to look down. Much to her surprise, it wasn't Sesshoumaru, Yura, or any combination of the two. It was Rin, grasping a plate in her hands. "Oh! Rin-chan! What are you doing here?"

"Raven-chan!" Rin smiled up at her, pushing by her legs and looking expectedly around the room. "Sesshoumaru-sama! ...Sesshoumaru-samaaa?" She turned back to Kagome, a disappointed frown on her face. "Where's Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"He's...out for a little while." Kagome crouched down, seeing that little treat that Rin was carrying with her. "What's that?"

"Oh!" Rin perked up a little, returning to where the older girl was. "It's a cake. I made it myself, for Sesshoumaru-sama! But...well, she SAID he'd be here..."

"Hm?" Kagome tilted her head. "Who said he'd be here?"

Rin blushed childishly, suddenly aware of what she said. "Oh...no one, no one!" She smiled wide, revealing the small gap in her teeth. "It's getting dark, and I have to go to bed soon though..."

Kagome nodded in understanding. "All right! I've got it! I'll give this to Sesshoumaru-sama for you, okay?"

Looking very happy with the promise, Rin shoved her thin little arms out towards Kagome, offering her the small china plate that held the rather large slice of thick chocolate cake. "Thank you, Raven-chan! You can have a little too, but just a little! 'Cause I made it especially for Sesshoumaru-sama. It even has it's own special ingredient!"

"Got it, got it." Kagome stood up, holding the plate in one hand with great care, and patted Rin's head with the other. "You get to sleep now. I promise that Sesshoumaru will get it the moment he gets back."

"Thank you, Raven-chan! I'll see you later then...Bye bye!" And with that, the energetic little girl turned and happily skipped out of the room, leaving the door slightly cracked open behind her. Kagome couldn't help but smile a little.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to have just a bit..." She told herself, kneeling by the table and setting the plate down. "I mean, Rin said I could, after all..."

And with that, she picked up the tiny fork that was set cutely next to the cake, and gathered just a small bit of the grainy chocolate material on top. "I haven't had anything sweet for ages...!" Happy with herself and the circumstances, Kagome consumed the tiny bit of confectionary goodness, chewing it and swallowing it with nostalgic feelings of joy. "Uwaaa! It tastes great! I didn't know Rin was such a good cook!" 

The truth was she desperately wanted to try some more, but knew that it was probably a bad idea. Rin had made it for Sesshoumaru, after all, and she would leave the rest of it for Rin's sake. Setting the fork back down on the plate, Kagome sprung to her feet with the goal of sneaking a little rest on her master's soft bed. But that's when a strange feeling hit her. Dots of light unexpectedly began to flash in front of her vision, and she felt oddly lightheaded. Stumbling to the side and gripping one of Sesshoumaru's bedposts, she raised a hand to her temple. _What...What's wrong with me...? _She thought hazily, her breath abruptly catching in her throat. "Nn..g!!" She gagged, her eyes going wide as she began to take quick, hollow breaths, her legs and arms suddenly feeling like jelly. Losing her support, she fell to the ground, turning onto her knees and elbows and gasping desperately for air, unable to call out or make any words. The white sparkles now mixed with black blotches, and she could just barely perceive everything around her getting thick and hazy, her heart beating like mad from panic but her eyes drooping low from a sudden onset of exhaustion. Her elbows gave out from under her and she collapsed forward, her cheek pressing against the soft rug of the empty room. _Sesshoumaru... _She thought wearily, before falling into a deep and numb state of nothingness.

"Raven-chaan!" Someone called from outside the room. For obvious reasons, there was no response. Rin, who had returned to leave another message for Sesshoumaru, peeked her head into the slightly open door, looking around. "Raven-chan? Are you there?"

Again, receiving no response, she stepped inside. "Raven-cha-AH!" She jumped a little when she saw her older friend's lifeless body lying on the floor. "Raven-chan...? Raven-chan?!" Her high, childlike voice became much tighter as she kneeled by the girl's side and shook her shoulders. "Raven-chan?! Wake up!! Are you okay?! Raven-chan?!" There was no response. Rin was still young, but even she could tell that the gurgling noise Kagome made in the back of her throat was a bad sign. As quickly as possible she leapt to her feet, bursting out of the door and down the hallway, screaming for Sesshoumaru. 

~

**Author's Note:** OH YEAH BABY BABY! :DDDD I am proud of this chapter. Why? Because it is 10:37 damn PM at night, I have not started my homework, and I have to go take a shower! WHOO HOO! But I finished it! Just for all you! And I'll be busy ALL DAY tomorrow so I figured I should get it done. Hmm. Not much to say. 

I decided to add some turmoil into the relationship. Aka, Yura. I was having a hard time deciding whether I should pick Yura, or Abi (I think that's her name) which was a bird woman youkai enemy thing from some point in the manga. But for some reason or another, I picked Yura. I think you can probably guess what role she has to play in all of this. Umm. No. I didn't really spellcheck it. Well, I spellchecked it, but I didn't proofread it. Dammit, I have stuff to do tonight! I'm sorry! _ That's why I might not be able to send the mailing list thing out tonight. 9_9 Which I guess defeats the point, but...I think my readers will forgive me.

What else to say..Hmm..11 pages! Whoo! Go me! I hit a roadblock at one point (around page 5) and I had TWO directions I could take this story in, one with Yura and one without, but I decided to take the with. Oh, and if anyone has any questions about the plot, feel free to ask. T_T I mean, I might not be able to answer them because I'm about author, but I'll try. I don't want anyone to be confused.

Oh! You know what I need to say! There is a reason this is a little late. You know why? ...Dun dun DUN! Because Tsuuki has started ANOTHER STORY! Whoo hoo! It's a totally different turn from this one (Still Inuyasha, still Sess/Kag, don't worry) but it's modern. No youkai. There will be stuff about the Shikon, I will take some liberties with the Kikyou/Kagome, and it'll be retro. It's called Our Night Life, it'll be out..eh..Sort of soon, I guess. I have a few pages now, but I'm going to wait until I have a few chapters, okay? I hope you guys all read it, since it'll be different from any other fic I've read so far. :D I just want to try to be daring. So look forward to that. All right! That's it for now!

JAA MATA NE!


	15. Chapter 15 Pursue You!

**Author's Note:** Time to get to the grindstone! Inuyasha doesn't belong to me. Don't forget it! Yeah. So…Ikimashou~!

~

The wind whistled by, brushing her hair against her cheeks and tickling her nose. Kagome squinted her eyes to block out the bright, sparkling sun overhead, although she was not quite sure when she had woken up in the first place. It registered in her mind that something was out of place. She tilted her head to the side, opening one eye and staring at the high, scattered grass that surrounded her. The thin green blades protruded into the air and pressed against her exposed arms, another grainy sensation mixing in with the feeling of the sharp grass. _Where am I…? _She thought wearily, tilting her head in the opposite direction and watching the wispy white clouds roll along in the orangey-red sky. Behind the gently swaying grass she could see endless dunes of sand, and it was only then that she heard the soothing sound of crashing waves a little ways away.

Dazed, but otherwise feeling perfectly fine, Kagome sat up, looking down at herself. She was wearing a soft, simple white cotton sundress. The thin, ribbon-like straps barely concealed her shoulders, but the air was clear and warm and her exposed arms and legs hardly bothered her. She was sitting in a mixture of flattened grass and sand, although much to her surprise, when she checked her back and hair she found that they were both completely dirt free. _What am I doing here…?_

Before her, the grass waned off and left only smooth and flawless sand, which in turn lead off into the glittering wide ocean. Small waves brushed up rhythmically against the shore, the dull spraying sound fading off into the distance. There was no echoing, and still, there was no silence. If it wasn't the waves, then it was the wind, and if it was not the wind, then it was Kagome's own breathing. The endless sea spanned out before her, but it seemed that her childhood fear had dissipated into the magic of this peaceful place. She could see no boundaries, no limits; everything just spread out around her endlessly. The sun shimmered high in the crimson tinted sky, and the water reflected that fiery tone. Kagome could sense the salt-less air, the feel of the sand and grass beneath her feet and hands, she could recognize the feeling of soft cloth on her skin. Even against her logic's better judgment, she told herself that this place must be real. She had never felt so awake before in her life.

_I wonder how I got here…_Kagome pushed herself up to her bare feet, savoring the free feeling of the smooth sand beneath her toes. The wind rustled the grass once more, and she turned to look behind her, wondering if she could see the end to the rippling dunes. There was none. The crashing waves brought her attention back to what her mind perceived to be the 'front' of the scene, and she turned her body, unprepared for what had appeared on the golden beach.

_Sesshoumaru__…? _Kagome took a few shaky steps towards him, her legs feeling new and out of practice, as if she hadn't used them in weeks. The youkai prince stood calmly on the shore, his feet just barely out of reach of the ever-extending waves. He stared emotionlessly at her, his long silver hair swaying prettily behind him, and his face bare of all its usual markings. If Kagome hadn't known him for who he truly was, she would not have been able to distinguish him from a human. What was most surprising about his appearance, however, was his simple outfit that varied dramatically from the thick and heavy white silk that he normally adorned himself in. The sleeves of the thin knit shirt he wore were rolled up at his elbows, revealing the pale skin of his wrists. The collar hung low, as did the hem of the shirt, hanging loosely down around his waist. His simple brown pants, resembling those of Kagome's father's before he died, swung down below his angles, concealing all of his legs and most of his surprisingly human feet. She couldn't explain it, but something in Kagome's heart swelled when she saw him standing there like that. It was as if he wasn't royalty. In her almost childish white dress, she wasn't just a stupid human maid. She was just a girl, and he was…he was Sesshoumaru, without the frill.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…?" She asked, unable to conceal the happiness in her voice. "What are you doing here…?"

~

"Sesshoumaru-sama…?"

Sesshoumaru looked up at the noise, swiftly turning his body in the chair, his chest tightening as his eyes flicked to the girl lying wrapped up on his bed. Her face was bright red and hot with a dangerous fever, and perspiration lined her forehead as she rolled her head back and forth in her delusions. He didn't know if he was disappointed or not to see that she was still asleep, if that's what you could call the fever-induced state. She had been mumbling unintelligible things all night, ever since she had passed out earlier in the day. "Whu…errdoin…herr…"

He sighed heavily. It was enough just trying to figure out what happened, but with her moaning and groaning every five minutes, bringing on a temporary bout of anxiety each time, it was hard to think. He had returned with Yura only an hour or so after they left, to find that instead of his maid being there, it was Rin, her eyes red and puffy from crying. At that point she had seemed to have gotten a hold of herself, and was just sitting on his bed, idly kicking her legs back and forth. However, the moment she saw Sesshoumaru approaching, tears began flowing down her already wet cheeks once more. As was accustomed for the little girl she latched herself onto his leg, sobbingly confessing that she had 'killed Raven-chan.' When he had finally calmed her down long enough to hear the explanation, she told him (her voice nasally and broken because of her sniffling and hiccups) that after she found Raven unconscious on the floor, and after she couldn't find Sesshoumaru, she got a few kitchen maids to get a nurse, and the nurse had rushed up and immediately brought the girl down to the infirmary, and had ordered her to stay there to wait for Sesshoumaru to come back, but because he wasn't there to clear any procedures there were only a few medical aids they could apply to her, so she wasn't doing very well, and it looked like she was going to die, and Rin, knowing that it must've been her cake that got her sick, broke down once more and sobbed out a long line of apologies, saying it had been an accident and the cake hadn't been meant for her anyway and if only she hadn't given it to her and that now she was dead and she'd never wake up again and the list of confessions just spanned on and on, hardly allowing the suddenly very upset youkai lord a word in edgewise. For the moment unconcerned with the reasons for his maid's sudden illness, Sesshoumaru had rushed down to the infirmary and angrily ordered everyone there to apply whatever medicine, herb, liquid, or treatment it took to make sure the girl stayed alive. It would be a lie to say that she 'got better,' but her throat had been cleared out and she was able to breathe again. Almost immediately, Sesshoumaru arranged for a nurse to be stationed in the room next to them, in case anything happened, and had then proceeded to bring his maid back to his room.

It had been five, maybe six hours since then, and there was no change in her condition. He had allowed the obviously upset and disgruntled Rin to go to bed, since trying to get information out of her between sporadic weeps was just too much of a headache. Besides, right now, all he wanted to do was stay by his stupid little maid's side. Up until now he had been trying to distract himself with documents that he needed to read and memorize for his classes, but the girl's mumbling and calling out had gotten more frequent and desperate, seriously worrying him.

He stood from his desk, walking over to the bed and sitting down next to his maid, pulling the heavy blankets up over her shivering chin. "Sesshmahru…" She repeated quietly, rolling her head to the side and spreading her hair out over the pillow. The youkai lord frowned, looking her face over. For lack of a better word, he regretted everything that happened that night. He didn't know what to do for her, for himself, or for the obnoxious way he was feeling. Whenever she gasped desperately for air, his chest would tighten and he would hold her up with his own arms until the breathing evened out. When the thought that she may die crossed over his mind, he would look over his room and see it suddenly empty. No mattress, no flowers, nothing but the empty desk and empty bed he had been more or less contently living with for his whole life. But ever since she came, he had found amusement that he thought he could never experience. _That's right. _He told himself, gently resting his palm on Kagome's forehead and feeling the unnatural heat. _If she dies…I'll just be bored. _His expressionless eyes traveled down to her mouth, which he remembered as always being loud and open. 

_I wonder how she feels. _He idly thought, pulling his hand back and contenting himself with just falling into thought. _I wonder if she's in pain._

~

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome was confused when he didn't respond. He just stood there, staring silently at her, looking small against the spanning ocean behind him. "Well!" She puffed out her cheeks, remembering the argument that they had had earlier. "You don't need to ignore me!"

Still, nothing. Feeling offended, Kagome shakily walked towards him, her feet sinking a little into the sand with each step. The wind died down, leaving only the sound of the waves and Kagome's rustling dress as she stumbled towards her master. Water began to roll up around Sesshoumaru's feet, staining the bottom of his plain cotton pants, although he remained empty and unphased "Sesshoumaru-sama? Is something wrong…?"

"Kagome."

She immediately stopped. "…Wh-what…?"

The tide began coming in at an incredible pace, the reach of the small waves now including the majority of Kagome's ankles and lower calves. She stared down at the temporarily exposed sand, surprised to see that even though it had just been submerged by the sea, it was still dry. "Kagome." 

She returned her gaze to him, eyes wide. "How do you…Sesshoumaru!" Unexpectedly, as the water rose around Kagome with every rolling wave, Sesshoumaru started stepping backwards into the sea. And yet, even as Kagome rushed towards his retreating figure, the water fluctuating up to her knees, her thighs, her waist, Sesshoumaru did not sink. His feet remained on the surface of the water, little droplets spraying up onto his pants, but otherwise it looked as if the ocean on which he was standing was only one or two inches deep. "Sesshoumaru!! Sesshoumaru-sama!" She desperately called out to him, retreating further and further into the cold, salty ocean, reaching her arms out in front of her, continuing on through the thick water even as the waves rolled up to her elbows. Sesshoumaru stopped. "Why are you following?"

The ground under Kagome melted away, leaving her to momentarily plunge down into the sea, emerging a few seconds later with her bangs matted down to her face. She flailed her arms around, swimming towards Sesshoumaru, for some reason unable to wade as if some force was pulling her down into the dark depths. "Sesshoumaru!" She gasped, spitting some water out of her mouth, reaching out for his legs. "H-help me up…!"

Silently, he stared down at her, looking completely uninterested. "If you cannot adequately swim, then you should not have come out this far."

Kagome's arms were tiring quickly. Her head was submerged under the water again, and she was only barely able to pull herself up again, only to see that Sesshoumaru had continued receding back into the horizon. "Sesshoumaru!"

But the pull was too strong. It was just too hard to keep on swimming. The last thing she saw was Sesshoumaru's head tilted just slightly to the side, his stoic eyes condescendingly boring into hers, mocking her weakness. And then it went black. She plunged down into the icy depths, the darkness surrounding her body, becoming thicker and thicker as she was brought deeper and deeper. _Am I dying…? I've felt like this before…_She closed her eyes tightly, her lungs screaming for air. She needed to inhale, she needed to try, even if there was nothing but water. Unable to hold out any longer, Kagome opened her mouth and took a deep breath.

~

Kagome abruptly sprung forward, keeling over and coughing. Her face dripped with hot, thick sweat, and her fragile shoulders trembled as she coughed from the deepest portion of her lungs. A surprised Sesshoumaru sat back a little, staring at her with an uncharacteristic look of confusion on his face. Just as soon as the coughing fit died down, Kagome collapsed to the side, her eyelids feeling heavy. _Where am I now…? _She moved her eyes tiredly around the room, exhausted, unable to find the energy to lift her head. Unexpectedly she felt two hands on her side, grabbing the blankets that she had thrown off of herself and pulling them back around her shoulders.

Wearily aware of the other presence in the room, Kagome weakly nudged her head up, her eyes meeting Sesshoumaru's. Despite herself, she smiled. "…Oh…that's right…I must be in Sesshoumaru's room…" She muttered, not realizing that she had just said it out loud. Sesshoumaru furrowed his brows together. "…How do you feel?"

Unable to maintain the energy it required to keep her head up, Kagome let it fall back down onto the inviting pillow, allowing her eyes to close half-way. _How do I feel…? What happened…? _She blinked the blurriness from her eyes, trying to remember. _Ah, that's right…Rin gave me that cake…And I…_

"Did you hear me?"

Kagome opened her dry mouth, forming the words. "…I feel…cold. Weak." All of the images from the beach returned to her. _Had it really only been a dream…?_ "Rest again. You'll feel better when you wake up." Again, Sesshoumaru placed his cold clawed hand down onto Kagome's forehead, causing her to flinch. She moved her eyes up, seeing a small portion of his arm. "Promise…?"

He said nothing. In return, Kagome smiled weakly again, unable to think clearly, nor able to assess the situation. Everything was just a grayish blob in her mind. _That's right…_She thought. _I understand…I understand Sesshoumaru now…_

"Nee…" The human girl whispered weakly, eyelids fluttering. "Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"Hm?" Idly, Sesshoumaru brushed some of her wet bangs from her face.

"…I'm sorry…That I got mad at you earlier…"

"Just rest."

Finally, she allowed her eyes to shut, feeling comfort in the encompassing darkness.

"Nee…Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"Hm?"

"…I'm sorry…"

The youkai prince pulled his hand away, placing it onto the side of the bed. He looked away from her, out the window, looking for something else to concentrate on. "You already told me." He could sense her trying to move a little on the bed.

"No…I'm…I'm sorry I couldn't keep…I couldn't keep on swimming…"

He turned his gaze back to her, surprised. "…What?"

She swallowed down the dryness in her mouth, the heat in her head making everything a whirlwind of sounds and emotions and words that she wanted to express to him. "I tried to swim…but I wasn't strong enough…I can't…walk on water, not like Sesshoumaru-sama…"

_What is she talking about? _"You just need to re-…"

"…It's not because I'm human…" Her voice became meeker and raspier with each word. Everything was so heavy and her ears were just so foggy that she hardly even realized she was speaking. "…S'not because Sesshoumaru-sama is a youkai…He's just…If I want to stay by his side…I'm not strong…"

Sesshoumaru said nothing to this.

"I'm not…like him…I'm not amazing…" As she drifted off into sleep, the words began to slur and tie together. "I just can't reach you…"

  
~

_I know that now. Sesshoumaru doesn't look down on others because of their race. He looks down on them because he is superior. He's strong. Nothing can hurt him, nothing can rival him, nothing can reach him. It's not a fight of youkai against human. It's not a fight of master against maid. There is no fight. Even if I try, even if I try to make things a fight…Even if I try to see things as a struggle, or a competition, it's just because I'm weak. Sesshoumaru isn't saved, or protected, or helped, or comforted. He isn't cold or hateful or distant. He just knows he's better than the rest of the world. It is nothing for him to be great…And even if I keep on swimming for the rest of eternity…All he can do is keep on looking down on me…_

~

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" A meek voice called out from behind the door. The solemn youkai looked up, registering the voice as belonging to Rin. "Come in, Rin."

The door creaked open, and in slipped a very tired looking little girl, her head tilted towards the ground. "Sesshoumaru-sama…" She repeated his name quietly. "How is Raven-chan…?"

Sesshoumaru said nothing. Wanting an answer, Rin carefully walked over to the bed, placing her hands on the mattress and leaning over to the sick girl. "Raven-chan…?"

"She's resting, Rin."

"Oh…" The little girl pushed herself up onto the fluffy bed, sitting up near the pillows and pulling her knees to her chest. "Is she going to be okay?"

Sesshoumaru moved his eyes from Rin to the silent girl sleeping next to where he sat. "I don't know."

"Oh…" Fearfully, Rin reached over and placed her small hand on Kagome's, pulling back when the older girl twitched uncomfortably. Rin temporarily blinked stupidly, as if something amazing just happened. "She's alive…!"

The youkai lord sighed heavily. "Rin…Are you ready to tell me what happened?"

She tensed up at the question, but had obviously gotten over some of her initial horror, nodding all too energetically. "Uh huh. Well…I was downstairs helping out in the kitchen, and this woman came up to me and she said that Sesshoumaru was hungry, so I should make something for him…"

"A woman? Who?"

Rin shrugged. "I dunno. I didn't know her. So I asked what I should make and she said it didn't matter since she had a secret special ingredient that would make anything taste good…"

_"I know! I'll make him a cake!" Rin giggled happily. The older woman smiled sweetly, leaning over and placing her hands on her knees. "That's a good girl. Here." From out of a little pouch that was tied to her side, the older woman pulled out a squarish paper bag filled with a thin white powder. "Just sprinkle this onto the cake and it'll taste reaaaaal sweet! It's a secret, though, so don't tell anyone, since I only have enough just for you!"_

_Rin__ looked absolutely ecstatic. "All right! I promise! I'll make it and bring it to Sesshoumaru-sama as soon as possible!" An angry look flashed across the woman's face, although it only remained temporarily. "No, he's not in his room right now. Why don't I tell you when he gets back? Then you can make sure he eats it all!"_

_The little girl pondered the idea for a while before nodding enthusiastically. "Okay! But, how will you know where-" "I'll know." The woman quickly replied. "Now make sure you use all of my special ingredient! He'll absolutely love you for it." Rin's eyes twinkled at the idea. "Thank you! Umm…What's your name…?"_

_The woman smiled that sugary sweet smile again, standing back up straight. "It's not important. Let's just call this a present from one friend of Sesshoumaru's to another, ne?"_

Rin looked embarrassed at the story. "Later on that day, after I made the cake…I dun remember when it was…She came up to me, even though she looked hurried, and she told me she had just seen Sesshoumaru-sama going back into his room…But, when I came, no one was here but Raven-chan, and she said Sesshoumaru-sama had just gone out for a little while, but she promised me that she would give it to Sesshoumaru-sama as soon as he got back, and so I told her she could have some, and she thanked me and I left…"

"Was that all?" Sesshoumaru asked tensely. He wasn't an idiot. It didn't take a genius to accurately guess who this 'mysterious woman' was. 

"Uh huh. Well, at least until I came back. I remembered that I wanted to tell you that Jaken-sama had wanted to see Sesshoumaru-sama, so I thought I'd leave the message with Raven-chan…But…The door was open a little and no one answered, so I went in, and Raven-chan was on the floor and she couldn't breathe…I ran away, screaming for Sesshoumaru-sama, but I couldn't find him, so…"

Sesshoumaru knew the rest of the story. He nodded and patted the sniffling girl on the head. "I understand, Rin."

The little girl's lower lip trembled, and she looked admiringly up at Sesshoumaru. "Do you think she'll die? I don't want Raven-chan to die…I know I was supposed to be Sesshoumaru-sama's maid, but ever since she came Sesshoumaru-sama has been so much happier and that's all I want…I mean, I thought I could be Sesshoumaru-sama's maid too, and then he could be twice as happy."

Sesshoumaru flinched at the child's words. _Surprisingly deep for a human of her age._He noted, trying to brush off the comments about 'happiness,' which he didn't really appreciate. He wasn't happier with the girl, he thought. She just amused him.

"Rin, you should go back to bed. It's still early, and you'll just make noise." For the first time ever, Rin quietly obeyed the command, posing no opposition. Looking forlornly down at Kagome one more time, she slipped off the bed and walked out of the room. The second he could sense that she was well out of ear-shot, Sesshoumaru growled. "Yura…"

Admittedly, he had had his suspicions about the woman, especially since she had absolutely denied him any passage back to the castle on their tiring little walk. She had vehemently insisted that they stay out as long as possible. Now that he had conformation that it was her doing, things easily fell into place. Yura had given Rin the poison knowing that the only one in the room would be his maid, who would undoubtedly try some of the cake, whether she had been offered any or not. Then, thinking that Rin would leave and Kagome would be poisioned without anyone around to save her, Yura was convinced that she would die there. And, had Rin not found her, she would very well have died that night. 

Sesshoumaru cursed to himself. This wasn't his fault. _It was that stupid girl who started yelling at me. If it hadn't been for her, I would never have gone with the obnoxious woman anyway. That idiotic human doesn't know her place. She deserves to die. I will not have this blood on my hands._

"Kago no naka no tori wa…  
Itsu, itsu, deyaru...?"

Sesshoumaru turned his head to the human girl he had just been thinking about, surprised to see that one of her eyes was wide open, staring at him as she hummed almost too cheerily. In comparison to her condition just a few hours ago, she was looking much better. Not good, mind you, but better. "What part of 'rest' do you not understand, girl?"

"I'm thirsty." She said in a childish, innocent voice, a tinge of rasp to it that was most likely brought on by the numerous coughing fits she had experienced since suddenly waking from her strange dream. Sesshoumaru looked dully at her, reaching over to the bedside table and grabbing the half-full glass of water that sat there. "Sit up."

Kagome obeyed, shifting her body up against the pillows, having a little help from Sesshoumaru. He raised the glass to her lips, at which point she shakily grabbed it from him, blushing childishly. "I'm feeling better now. I can do it myself."

"Have it your way." He conceded, letting her take the cup from his hands and sitting back. She delicately sipped, swallowing only a little at the time, wincing with each little movement. "Where does it hurt?"

Kagome lowered the glass to her lap, her face still red with fever and embarrassment. "Oh…My throat is just a little sore…I wonder why." Sesshoumaru took the water from her hands, placing it back down on the side table. 

"You were poisoned." He calmly told her, sounding neither upset nor interested by the fact. Kagome replied to it with a similar indifference, looking longingly out the window. "Oh."

Sesshoumaru was puzzled by her reaction. Didn't she care? She cared about everything and everyone else, and yet, when it came to herself… "You don't seem very surprised."

"I guess not." Kagome shrugged nonchalantly, looking back at Sesshoumaru. "Have you been taking care of me?"

He didn't respond, standing and stepping away from the bed, over towards his desk. Kagome knew how to interpret the silent answer, smiling a little to herself. Her head was heavy and throbbing, her ears were blocked up, her arms and legs were weak, and she was nauseous, but other than that she felt all right. 

"I guess you'll end up living after all." Rather than a statement to her, he said it as a thought to himself, angering the human girl in its lack of emotion. 

"Please, don't sound so broken up inside." She snapped back at him. Without replying, he sat down at his desk, pretending to look at whatever papers happened to be at hand. Kagome let out a large puff of breath. _Nothing has really changed, has it? Although, I doubt he'd be all that mean to me in this condition…Might as well take advantage of it._

"Nee, Sesshoumaru-sama…" He inhaled deeply at the familiar term, not even bothering to look back at her. "What is it?"

"Will you read to me?"

Slowly, deliberately, Sesshoumaru turned in his chair. "…_Excuse_ me?"

"I said, 'Will you read to me?'" She repeated her previous question without an ounce of shame. He raised an eyebrow at her, suddenly wishing she was unconscious again. "I understand that you are nothing but a stupid human, but even you should know how to read."

_That pretentious little…! _Kagome turned her nose up at him. "Of course I can read! But I'm sickly and weak, isn't it your job to tend for me?"

"Do _not_ push your luck, girl." Sesshoumaru turned back to his desk, trying to figure out where this human got the nerve to ask such things of him. No one, not even Rin…He heard her sigh disappointedly behind him, followed by a string of deep, rasping, painful coughs. Rolling his eyes, he turned back to the girl, whose face and all around physique had dramatically been worn away by that last onset of hacking. "What would you expect me to read?"

~

_Why am I doing this? _Sesshoumaru sat on the side of the bed, with Kagome happily curled up by his side, a wide smile on her face. It had taken a few more coughing fits and some pained moaning, but finally he had agreed to read something for her. "You realize I am just doing this to shut your mouth."

Kagome ignored the implied insult, letting her head drop down on Sesshoumaru's fluffy pillow. "You're the best, Sesshoumaru…" She looked up, noticing the skeptical look on his face and blushing a little. "…sama."

He cleared his throat, taking his eyes off the girl at his side and moving them instead to the document he held in his hands. "July 24. This Contract between the parties of Sesshoumaru of the West Territories of Japan and Kouga of the Northern Wolf Tribe of Japan legally binds and restricts, under the laws jointly established by their respective Emperors, that the latter party acknowledges and respects the legal debt he owes to the individual from which he had formally requested, and received, temporary military aid. In return for aforementioned aid, the latter party has officially pledged a) assistance in matters of war or finance whenever these services are requested b) a previously established item that is of the former party's choosing. Until this item is secured and delivered in person to the individual of whom the debt is owed, the latter party will be territorially restricted to lands of and belonging to the West Territories, unless otherwise required for the attainment of the promised debt, and with the elongated time period in mind, as in order to keep relationships between the two parties peaceful, a gift to the person whom is owed that specific item's choosing will be delivered to that individual to possess until the desired object is achieved by the opposite party, henceforth finishing the deal and forbidding the indebted individual to request for any further favors outside what had been previously agreed in this Contract." 

It didn't end there, but Sesshoumaru figured that his simple maid had fallen asleep or been mentally left behind somewhere in the heady contract. There was a moment of silence before, much to his astonishment, Kagome asked quietly, "That's not the end, is it."

"No." He honestly replied, glancing down at the girl, who was quite awake and contemplative. 

"So…That's the document that ended my life." She commented thoughtfully, although Sesshoumaru could not tell if she was upset. "And that's what Kouga meant when he said that he'd come back for me. That it wouldn't be a long time. That's why he said he'd be coming to get me soon in that letter he wrote to you."

"Ah. You did read it." Sesshoumaru placed the contract down on the nightstand, shifting himself further onto the mattress. "I'm surprised you don't sound happier about it."

He heard her laugh a little. "…You know…You told me once, that after I had served my time with you, my fate would be death…"

"Do you believe it?"

Kagome wrinkled her nose, slipping one hand under her head and looking up at her master. "I didn't know what to think. I don't think Kouga would kill me, but then again, you might…" Sesshoumaru couldn't help but grin at this. "Yes. I might."

The heavy air in the room lifted a little when she noted the tiny display of emotion, and she herself couldn't help but smile. "You're tactless, Sesshoumaru-sama. But…Even if you do miraculously grow a soul, I won't be going home."

"How do you know that?" He leaned over and placed his elbows on his knees, staring out at the slowly wilting trees beyond the window. The contract had been made in July, the middle of summer, and since then time had seemed to pass so fast. Already, the world was swiftly diving into autumn. 

"Kouga told me." She responded, shifting her body onto her side and looking down at her hands. "I suppose mine was just a life destined to be one of servitude…"

"You're going to become _Kouga's_ maid?"

Again, she wrinkled her nose and stuck out her lower lip, thinking the question over. "Well…Don't put it that way. When you say 'become,' it makes it sound like I'm doing it because I want to…He told me that he'd make me his 'woman' when I got back…"

Sesshoumaru snorted. "His 'woman'? Kouga really has gone low, this time."

"Ah hah." Kagome faked amusement, not in the mood to get in an argument. Her stomach hurt, her head hurt, and her throat felt swollen. Even though she was thirsty, she knew that the water would be hard to get and keep down, and therefore decided against it. "But…well, Sesshoumaru-sama, I've been wondering…Just what _is_ Kouga getting for you?"

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't have heard of it."

The human girl couldn't help but sigh, bringing on another few painful coughs. She groaned, the pit of her lungs sore and tired. "…Humor me."

Gracefully placing his chin in his palm, Sesshoumaru tilted his head ever so slightly, just enough so his eyes could lock with his maid's. "A sword. Tetsusaiga."

_…He was right. I haven't heard of it. _However, the stubborn Kagome refused to admit it, and just sheepishly looked away from his piercing, golden stare. "Oh."_ My life will be tossed around, all for the sake of a sword. Mm. Wonderful._

The inwardly gloating youkai would've commented on her lack of knowledge on the subject, but before he got the chance, a few quick knocks on the door interrupted them. "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!" Squawked Jaken's familiar and unwanted voice. Kagome winced at the piercing sound, feeling the thick throb in her head returning. Without asking for permission, highly uncharacteristic of the little toad youkai, Jaken opened the door and waddled into the room.

"Jaken, what is the meaning of this disturbance?" Sesshoumaru flicked his intense gaze over to his loyal servant, causing the toady man to hesitantly open and close his pointy beak and blink his large yellow eyes. "This, this humble servant is so sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama! Please forgive me!" He bowed repeatedly, coming close to getting on hands and knees. The youkai lord could do nothing but sigh and allow him to speak. "What is it?"

"This humble servant has been trying to get a hold of Sesshoumaru-sama since he returned!" Jaken squawked. "There is news on Kouga."

"Kouga?" Sesshoumaru tensed up at the name, looking ten times more alert. "Is he here?"

Jaken shook his head and continued. "No, but we have just received a letter, and this humble servant believed that Lord Sesshoumaru-sama would like to see it right away."

"Aa." Sesshoumaru glanced from his maid back to his servant, standing from the bed. "Where is it?"

"In your father's office." Jaken quickly replied, blinking his large toad-like eyes once more. "He would not give it to me to deliver."

"Jaken. Keep watch outside this room and make sure no one enters." Sesshoumaru ordered, leaving Kagome's side and walking right out the door without a second glance. Jaken called out his understanding, following him outside and shutting the door behind him, at which point Kagome guessed he waited, just as Sesshoumaru had commanded.

_Just wonderful._Kagome pushed herself up into a sitting position, moving her eyes to the window. The leaves had begun to change color and fall from the trees, bringing back melancholy, unwanted feelings. When she had been taken from her home, everything was so bright and green and alive. Had so much time really passed? She could hear a muffled voice from outside the door, belonging to Rin, which sparked up an argument between the young girl and the toad youkai. Apparently Rin wanted to check in on Kagome, to which Jaken vehemently forbade. The jabbering went on for a little while, before it began to fade away, and finally stop.

Kagome paid it very little mind. Instead, she was thinking about Sesshoumaru, and about what she would do. Kouga would take her away soon, she supposed, but until then…_I guess nothing will change. Even if I feel like I've figured some things out about him, becoming distant or hateful won't do me any good…I don't care how superior he is…Now that I've lost my freedom, my hope, and my identity as a human being, all I have left to protect is my identity as Kagome. Silly, stupid, boring little Kagome…_

There was a noise outside the door, followed by the creaking of the door opening, causing Kagome to turn her head. _What is Jaken do-…_She suddenly gasped, raising a hand to her mouth. "Y-Yura…?!"

In the open doorway stood a sultry, angry-looking Yura, her arms crossed across her considerably chest, and her normally large eyes narrowed in a deadly glare. "You."

Kagome knew this was dangerous. She began pushing herself out of the bed, even though her weak arms and legs protested wildly. "Aww, poor little human…" Yura sarcastically cooed, strutting over to the bed. Kagome literally tumbled off of the mattress, landing in a tangled mess of blankets and sheets, her efforts to free herself upsetting her chest and throat and throwing her into another fit of coughs. "The poor little human has got herself caught in a trap, has she…?"

The bitter youkai woman leaned over the lump of cloth and grabbed Kagome's wrist, pulling her up into the air, looking her eye to eye. "You should have died last night. Damn humans, they're like rodents. They survive solely on luck."

Kagome's eyes quivered in fear, and she looked around for some way out of this. _Where the hell is Jaken?! _"Scared?" Yura smiled, her dark eyes sparkling. "Let's play a little game, shall we? We'll have some fun. I'll give you a head start." Bringing Kagome with her, Yura stepped over to the window and pushed it open, breaking the lock that normally held it shut.. "Run, little human. I'll give you a minute." And with that, she unceremoniously tossed the human girl out, watching as she plummeted to the ground and rolled a short distance on the grass.

The battered and sick maid could do nothing but allow her body to continue its trajectory, pushing herself up onto her hands the moment she got a chance. However, the poison still ran rampant through her body, and each movement either brought on a fit of coughs or sent a bolt of pain to the back of her neck. But still, survival came first, and Kagome pushed herself through the heady ache to her feet, and commenced to stumble and trip her way into the forest. 

_Dammit__! _Kagome cursed angrily to herself, holding a hand over her mouth as she tried to stifle her heavy, rasping breaths. _What…what am I going to do?!_

"Raven-chan!" A very unexpected, very familiar voice would prove to be Kagome's last hope. "Shippou-chan!" She gasped out, face flushed from the effort she was exerting on her body.

"Shippou-chan…" She repeated, collapsing down onto her knees, shoulders heaving. "Go…go find Inuyasha…Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru…Sango…Miroku…I don't care, just go find someone…Please…"

The little fox-child could sense that something was seriously wrong with his older friend. "What? Raven-chan, are you okay? What happened?"

"Shippou, PLEASE!" Kagome begged, tilting her head up. "Just go! Please…"

He didn't really understand what was going on, but his large ears twitched uncomfortably at the desperate tone in the human girl's voice, and he quickly scattered off towards the castle. Kagome had no more energy left to run, and so there, on the cold forest ground, she collapsed to her stomach.

Back at Sesshoumaru's window, Yura stood gracefully on the ledge, a skull resting in the palm of her hand. She looked fondly at it, stroking the numerous strands of hair that protruded from the bone, allowing them to wrap around her fingers. "Well, I think that's quite enough time…" She stated before flicking her hand out in front of her, strand upon strand of thin hair shooting from her hand and tying around surrounding tree trunks at several different heights. Then, after slipping the skull into her pouch, she wrapped a few strands around her wrist and leapt from the window ledge, swinging down into the dense trees.

"Aww! You didn't get very far at all, now did you? That wasn't any fun…" Yura landed on a branch over Kagome's head, a simple, childish smile on her red lips, but a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "But then again, I suppose one can't expect much more from a human." As she chided the hacking human she sent more hair out around the area, up to higher branches, down to the ground, surrounding them both in a dangerously sharp net.

"Yura…" Kagome panted, whirling her head to look up at the youkai. "Why are you doing this…?!"

"Why?" Yura stepped off the branch, onto a near-invisible thread of hair, sliding down the arc of the strand. "Because strange human girls should not be talking to Sesshoumaru." And with that, abruptly and unexpectedly, Yura tightened her fist and drew back, suddenly encompassing Kagome with her tight, thin weapon. The feeble clothes that Kagome wore were hardly protection against the cutting threads that pierced through and into the top layers of her skin, drawing blood. Her arms were immediately pinned by her side, and she had to carefully keep her neck stretched out in front of her or else the countless strands of hair wrapped around it would decapitate her in a second.

"Did you know…" Yura sweetly asked, tighting her fist a little more. "That they also call me 'Yura of the Hair'?"  
Beads of sweat formed on Kagome's forehead, although this time created out of fear rather than illness. _Shippou__…Where are you?! _"No, I wasn't aware…" Kagome hissed, trying to fight back the building pressure in her chest. She couldn't afford to cough now; she couldn't even move.

"Well." The youkai woman stated, matter-of-factly, "The invisible strings that surround you could slice you into eensy weensy bits, as soon as my will called for it."

"Aa." Kagome's eyes moved up to the hundreds of threads wrapped loosely around Yura's fingers. "You don't say."

Yura looked indignant at the off-hand comment. "Hmph! You obviously don't realize that you're about to die. Humans are so stupid."

Kagome knew that she had to stall her. There was no way she was going to be able to get out of this on her own; not alive, at least. She had to trust that Shippou wouldn't let her down, or else… "So, is it that you love Sesshoumaru?"

The question phased the violent woman, at least temporarily. Not in a shocked kind of way, however, more in a confused one. "Love? _Love_? I don't love. Sesshoumaru doesn't love. We don't love. We claim territory, and we protect that territory. And I claimed Sesshoumaru as my territory long, long ago."

The human girl couldn't help but wince at the idea. She knew what it probably meant, but for the sake of time, she decided to ask anyway. Even though she didn't want to hear it. "How do youkai 'claim territory'?"

Yura grinned brilliantly at the question, hopping a little on the strand of hair below her and dropping down a few feet. "Oh, I think you know. And I think you're just stalling for time. I would love to humor you, but I'm a busy woman." By shifting her body, Yura dangerously tightened the hair around Kagome's body, cutting her even deeper than before. 

Kagome shut her eyes tight, the stinging pain intensifying as the sharp threads tightened around her weak human body. There was nothing left for her to do. She was going to die, and it was highly doubtful that Sesshoumaru would be able to save her this time. 

"So please…"

_Sesshoumaru__…!_

Yura raised her hand up, preparing to tighten the deadly fibers one last time.

"Die!"

~

Author's Note: Okay. T_T I guess that last thing was a little silly, but I was thinking about it, and I think she really does say something weird like that in the manga. She has a sword too, which I JUST remembered. Damn. I'm so not correct. All right, a few notes!

Isn't this chapter SURPRISINGLY fast? I know, I know, I'm cool. It's a little short, though. I PLANNED on finishing it later on, after the Yura thing had ended and the Kouga thing began, but the thing is I'll be gone most ALL this week, and I'll be busy with I-search and projects and crap, even though it's vacation. X_x I'm going to visit my friend in New York for a few days, so obviously I can't do it then, and I didn't want to lose my momentum, and yeah…So here you go. Only 10 pages, but I'm proud of them. The beginning was real fluffy and introverted, don't you think? :D But I was glad I had the chance to insert it.

The hardest part of this chapter, by far, was the contract thing. Those are MAD hard to write. With the words and the strange English and all of that, I had to actually look up some company contract for words and grammar. It was weird. Again, I did not spell check this. Well, spellcheck isn't the problem, I didn't grammar/word check it. So please, any big problems, just tell me. :D Please. I would appreciate it. I'll be back for Tuesday, so I can edit things then. The new chapter will…Eh…It might not be up for a while. I-search and projects will no doubt become a huge problem after vacation. So I thought I'd give this for all you out there. As a Valentine's Day present. What else? Hmm…I know a bunch of people still have questions about Tetsusaiga and Kouga, but TRUST me, they'll be answered in the next chapter. I promise. :D Well, maybe not the next chapter, it depends. But trust me, I know what I'm doing now. I do. _ Promise. 

Jaa ne! I'll see you all again when I see you, I guess. Questions, comments, anything special, e-mail them to sunshine@chan.co.jp. As always. I appreciate! Keep on reading! I love you all. Really. * big big big hugs* Guys, thanks for motivating me. Especially all of you who cared enough to join the mailing list and review for every chapter. It REALLY makes me feel good. REALLY REALLY. Hontou ni.

One last thing. You know the first scene? With the beach and everything? And the drowning and Sesshoumaru on the water? That WILL play various roles later on. Don't ask me questions about it, since I know you don't understand now, but it will play a part later on. I thought it was important to add that since people might not understand. :D This is just me adding the dorky artistic flare I love. C'mon, admit it. We all do it, right?

JAA MATA NE! Have a great February vacation and Valentine's Day!


	16. Chapter 16 Despise You!

**Author's Note:** Hello there devoted fans! Thank you so much for waiting all the time you have. With no further delay…ikimashou! And there's a little swearing coming up. Yeah. Just thought I'd warn you. I'm sure you'll all be able to handle it, though.

~

Yura raised her hand up, preparing to tighten the deadly fibers one last time.

"Die!"

"YURA!"

Surprised by the sudden interruption, Yura stopped what she was doing and turned her head to the origin of the cry. "Well, well, well…If it isn't the hanyou!"

Kagome moved her eyes to the side, but due to the dangerous restraints cutting into her she was unable to see her savior. "Inuyasha…?"

There was the gentle sound of rustling cloth as Inuyasha leaped from his perch on a nearby tree, skillfully landing at Kagome's side. "Raven, are you all right?" 

There were no words to describe the relief Kagome felt to have Inuyasha at her side, although she realized they were far from safe. She looked desperately at him, wiggling her arms just slightly to emphasize her position. "Inuyasha, the threads…Cut the threads!"

A confused look flashed across the hanyou's face, his eyes flickering from Kagome to Yura, then back to Kagome. "Threads? What are you talking about?"

"Forget it, girl, he can't see them." Yura called from her perch, keeping a tight grip on the fibers that were wrapped around her hand. "But that the useless hanyou would come to your rescue…You really have made some friends in high places, haven't you?" She nonchalantly stepped from the strand of hair she had been previously settled on, freefalling a second or so before silently landing on a second fiber. In that single moment, the hair surrounding Kagome loosened just slightly, allowing her to throw her arm up and grip the fibers in front of her. "Here, Inuyasha! Cut here!" As she shouted the command to him, blood from her hand dripped down the strands she was holding, allowing Inuyasha enough of a visual for him to know where to strike. With reflexes befitting a youkai, Inuyasha swung his fists forward, his sharp claws snapping the hair that was threatening Kagome's life. The strings immediately fell from her body, and Kagome, exhausted and weak from the ordeal, collapsed to the ground, letting out a sequence of heavy coughs. Yura sneered angrily from her aerial position, shaking the now useless strands from her hands. 

Inuyasha kneeled by Kagome, placing his hands on her shoulders and shaking her a little too violently for her liking. "Raven! Raven, are you all right?!" 

Kagome coughed a bit, glaring up at Inuyasha. "Wh-…What do you think you're doing…?! We have to…" She was beginning to feel sleepy, her eyelids heavy and her vision blurring. "We have to…"

She felt something soft suddenly fall onto her body, and she held onto her senses long enough to realize that it was Inuyasha's trademark red coat. "Just stay here." He told her, his voice possessing a graveness she rarely ever heard from him. "This will protect you."

Tired, sore, and sick, Kagome allowed her head to fall onto the hard ground, barely registering Inuyasha's presence abruptly disappearing from her side.

Yura shook her head disappointedly, clicking her tongue in her mouth. "Tch, tch, tch…Inuyasha, I always knew that your love for humans would be the end of you." Placing a hand on the sword strapped to her side, Yura dropped down to the ground, quietly approaching Inuyasha. "Now then…" The metal of her sword dragged against the sheath as she pulled it out in front of her, the piercing noise echoing through the forest. "Is it a fight you want, or will you leave me to my work?"

Inuyasha smirked at the youkai woman, flexing his claws in response to her offensive pose. "Don't act so cocky, Yura. Have you lost your mind?"

"My business with this girl does not concern you, Inuyasha. I'll give you one more chance to run away."

"Heh." Inuyasha smirked, abruptly leaping into the air, aimed towards Yura. "The one who should be running is you!"

A violent spark flashed through Yura's eyes as she easily dodged the attempt, readying her blade in front of her and retaliating before Inuyasha even had the chance to turn. The hanyou jumped back the moment his feet touched the ground, barely avoiding Yura's sword, unprepared for the speed of her attack. Yura propelled herself from the ground, gracefully landing on an invisible thread in the air and turning to the hanyou, smiling daintily. "You can't really think you'll win, Inuyasha."

"Trash like you will be easy!" He shot back, momentarily crouching before pushing himself into the air, the cloth of his pants flurrying in the wind. With a little laugh, Yura tilted her body and leaped down towards her approaching opponent, both hands held tightly on the hilt of her sword. 

"SANKON TESSOU!" The hanyou half shouted, half growled, raising his claws and swinging forward with a surprising amount of force. Yura, unprepared for the blast of strength, was easily caught off guard. The slivers of energy slammed into her, sending her body flying backwards, the sword ripped from her hand and thrown down into the ground right next to Kagome's unconscious figure. The youkai woman swung her arm up just in time to grasp onto a strand of hair that was left suspended in the air, using it to catch the weight of her body as she acrobatically swung herself up and onto the gently sagging string of hair. 

Inuyasha softly landed onto the ground below her, immediately looking up, surprised that she had not been thrown down by the attack. It was a surprising sight; Yura's hand was almost completely amputated from the wrist, and she thumbed at it angrily, looking vexed rather than hurt. Without a verbal command, and although Inuyasha could not see it, hundreds upon thousands of fibers began to wrap themselves around Yura's damaged appendage, dispersing and falling to the ground only a few moments later. She flexed her newly sewn up hand, holding it out admiringly in front of her, staring longingly at the perfect job. The look almost immediately turned to that one of displeasure, however, when she turned her gaze down to the hanyou. It seemed that Yura was no longer in the mood for games.

"I'll admit, Inuyasha, you surprised me." She called from her perch, idly brushing some hair from her eyes. "But I've grown tired of you."

Unexpectedly, Yura flicked her wrist just ever-so-slightly, and in that moment a dangerous web of hair tightened around Inuyasha's unprotected body. "Did you really forget, Inuyasha?" Yura chided, her eyes narrowed in anger. "You're such a fool, to fall into my trap so simply. Did you really think I'd waste my time on someone as incompetent as you?"

Inuyasha winced, looking down at the indentations in his skin but being unable to see what it was that constricted him. _Shit! _He cursed himself for not realizing it earlier. _She's been setting these fucking hairs up around me ever since the beginning!_

With another little twitch, Inuyasha's body was raised into the air by the strings that held his arms dangerously tight to his sides. "Now then, why don't you be a good little hanyou and wait until I've finished my work. Before I take care of you, I'll make sure you see your human bitch dragged down to hell first."

"Raven!" Inuyasha hissed, squirming his body this way and that, trying to free himself from the invisible prison. His skin was much tougher and more durable than Kagome's, but that did not render him immune. He could feel the stinging sensation as the fibers cut into his skin and nearly drew blood.

_Raven, you've got t-…_Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted when he sensed something in the air around them. Yura seemed to have sensed it as well, as she had stopped where she was, her head turned to the side and a small smile on her face. "Sesshoumaru." She stated, almost gleefully. 

~

Sesshoumaru stepped into the clearing, his eyes just momentarily skimming over Yura and his idiotic younger brother. He had only just returned from his father's office, but it was simple enough to see what was going on, and the fact of the matter was that at the moment, he simply didn't care. Yura was smiling deviously down at him, looking absolutely ecstatic that he had finally showed up. Inuyasha just looked surprised and confused, as he always did, and rather pathetic dangling in the air unable to move. "Sesshoumaru, you've finally arrived…" Yura drawled, loosening the strand of hair on which she was standing and allowing it to lower her body to the ground.

He paid her no mind, aware of the trap that surrounded them but feeling that it was insignificant at the moment. Yura waited excitedly in front of Sesshoumaru, but for praise or anger, no one knew but her. Her bright red lips pursed into an even wider smile, and as the youkai prince approached her, she opened her mouth just ever so slightly to speak.

However, whatever she had wanted to say caught dry in her throat when Sesshoumaru brushed past her with nothing but indifference, not even sparing a second glance. Inuyasha was just as surprised as Yura, but was doing a much better job at showing it. It remained relatively silent as Sesshoumaru silently strode over to the lifeless human girl on the ground, her mouth just barely open and her eyelids shut as if she were asleep. The youkai narrowed his eyes just slightly, crouching down and placing a hand on the girl's forehead. _She's burning up…_He thought to himself, upset by how warm her skin was to the touch. Even with the obvious signs of fever, what worried him the most was her lack of movement. She was no longer shivering or coughing, and he could only just barely perceive the rising and falling of her breathing under Inuyasha's cloak. _Just what was it that Yura gave her…? _He frowned, placing his weight onto his knees and carefully leaning his impaired maid into his arms. Her head lulled to the side a little, but still, there was no response.

Yura's eyes narrowed, her lower jaw jut out just a little, and she angrily furrowed her eyebrows together. _What's happened to you, Sesshoumaru? _She mused to herself, in disappointment rather than astonishment or anger. 

"Lord Sesshoumaru-samaaaa!" Came a familiar croak, drawing the trio's attention away. Scuttling towards them, looking rather pained, was a huffing Jaken, his staff leaned against his pokey little shoulder and a rather large leather bag being dragged close behind. 

Sesshoumaru protectively shifted the girl into his chest, gracefully turning his neck towards the uglier of his servants. "Jaken. You're late." 

"I'm so sorry Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!" He whined, stumbling over to Sesshoumaru's side and letting the duffel bag fall limp down behind him. "Eh?" The toad youkai blinked his yellow eyes to Inuyasha, and then to Yura. "What is-"

"I didn't call you here to ask questions." Sesshoumaru snapped, his voice tense and anxious. Jaken bowed down to the command, posing no further questions. "Now then." Sesshoumaru said, seeming to have collected himself. "Don't fail me, Jaken. If she dies; you die." And with that threat, he looked back down at the weak girl in his arms, once more searching her face for any signs of life. Almost unwillingly he placed her back down onto the cold ground, standing and turning to Yura, his eyes giving off no hint to what he was thinking.

"Sesshoumaru…" Yura repeated his name, shaking her head with a tight frown playing on her face. "I had such high hopes for you…"

The words had no effect on him. "You should not have been so foolish, Yura."

"I don't understand, Sesshoumaru." She continued, raising her hand and allowing string upon string of hair to coil around it. "Why? Why won't you just let this human die?"

No response. Sesshoumaru just stared dully at the youkai woman, feeling it was unnecessary to provide someone of such little importance with an answer. Indignantly, Yura held her nose up, eyes narrowing to resemble those of Sesshoumaru. "Fine." She lowered her hand, balling it up into a fist. "However…A human-loving youkai…Does not deserve to walk this earth!"

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Yura suddenly lunged forward, swinging her clenched fist down in front of her, a thick barrage of hair flying in Sesshoumaru's direction. Completely unphased, the youkai lord shot his arm up and spread out his palm, a spray of poison scattering out in front of him and dissolving the threads in less than a second. Yura's eyes twitched slightly in distaste and surprise. _He can see them…?!_

Sesshoumaru nearly sighed. This was a waste of his time. Instead of dealing with this hormonally over-active woman, he should be getting his stupid maid somewhere safe. _Why does that girl always have to attract trouble like a magnet?_ "Sesshoumaru! Oi, Sesshoumaru!"

Without moving his head, Sesshoumaru simply shifted his eyes to Inuyasha's direction, lips curling in disgust. _And that it was Inuyasha who had to be the first to arrive…_

"Shut up, Inuyasha."

"You bastard!" The hanyou hissed angrily at his elder half-brother, squirming around in his invisible prison. "Get me down from here!!" 

Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on his younger brother, a tight anger growing in his chest, imagining the incompetent boy being entrusted with his maid's life. Inuyasha could hardly even keep himself alive, never mind the safety of an existence as fragile and weak as _her_, especially in the current situation. And then, the thought of Inuyasha's coat wrapped around the sickly girl's body made his skin crawl. This was not the first, but the second time that he had not been there to protect the foolish human, and that angered him. He had allowed Yura to trick him…He had allowed her to be alone…He had allowed her to reach the state she was in…_And if she were to die…_

"Where are you looking?!" Yura chimed in, her hands and fingers wrapped in fibers, leaping down at Sesshoumaru, although he was not sure when she had gotten into the air in the first place. Brought back to his primal senses, Sesshoumaru immediately stepped to the side, his movement so abrupt that he was quite literally a blur. Yura growled, her numerous weapons slapping uselessly into the ground where he had originally stood. In quick response, Sesshoumaru shifted his body to the side, spreading his hand out once more and making quick disposal of a few threads of hair dangerously close to his neck.

"Sesshoumaru, you bastard!! Get me down _right now_!" Inuyasha's fangs were bared angrily at his older brother, who continued to ignore his pleas. Yura, believing that was enough of a distraction to pull Sesshoumaru's sight away from his surroundings, flicked her hand to the side, new strands plunging at the youkai's prince's body. As soon as they had left her hand, they were destroyed once again by Sesshoumaru's acidic attack, although this time something struck Yura's attention. His eyes were still glued on Inuyasha, and had not actually turned to see the hair approaching him. _That's it! _Yura crouched a little before propelling herself into the air, landing on a tree branch high above their heads. _It's not that he sees them…He feels them. _She looked around her, examining all the objects in the area that her beautiful strands of hair could wrap themselves around. With a plan quickly forming in her mind, Yura dug into the pouch at her side, pulling out the skull, followed by a comb, and idly beginning to brush through the thick mass of hair that protruded from the slightly tinted bone. _As quick as he may be, he has only two hands…_Pulling the comb out far from her body, the hair grew and followed, floating on the nonexistent wind, being gently carried to trees, bushes, and rocks. The fibers were loose and produced no real energy of their own, and yet Sesshoumaru could still sense that something was surrounding him.

He darted his eyes to his surroundings, and yet, no matter how hard he strained, he saw nothing but clean air. _So, she knows. _He thought rather expressionlessly, realizing now that his strategy would have to change. She would most likely try to surround and overcome him with more than what his two hands could handle. And for protection from that, he would need…He really did sigh this time. All the compromises he made for that damn girl. 

~

Jaken was busily digging through the leather bag, pulling out herbs and lotions and bottles. He had followed Sesshoumaru back to his room, and when his master had realized that the injured girl was no longer there, he ordered Jaken to immediately retrieve his medicines and follow him out. The command was vague, however, as Jaken had hundreds of different remedies for hundreds of different ailments. Nonetheless, he didn't dare go against Sesshoumaru's orders, and brought out all he could carry, and was now doing his utmost to find the appropriate materials in order to keep the human alive. Not for her sake, really, nor for Sesshoumaru's. Jaken personally didn't believe that his beloved lord needed anyone but him, and missed the days when there was no Rin or whoever this new one was, but worked diligently anyways, as he fully believed that Sesshoumaru would carry out his earlier threat.

"Unnnnnh…"

_She's waking up. _Jaken thought to himself, his inner voice as croaky and obnoxious as his real one. _Better hurry this up._

"Whurr'm ay…" Kagome felt like her head was full of stones, and hurt as if she had just been pelted with them. She didn't remember much of what had happened in the last hour, but she did somewhat recall running, and then something about the woods, and something about Inuyasha, and something about… "Yura!"

She gasped, pushing herself up some, even as her body violently protested. Her lungs felt like they were about to cave in on themselves, and she was thrown into a fit of coughing and hacking, blood unexpectedly dripping down into her hand. "Ugh…" Kagome winced, trying to ignore that unpleasant little fact. She remembered what she was doing now, and if she could only find Yura and Inuyasha…

"Sesshoumaru, you bastard! Get me down from here _right now_!"

Startled, Kagome moved her head to the side, white sparks exploding in her vision the second she did so. She felt as if she had a bad case of the flu; her face was warm, and yet, for some reason she couldn't keep her arms from shivering. Nevertheless, even through the haze she could make out Inuyasha dangling pitifully from a few black hairs, and right near him was Sesshoumaru.

She felt the urge to call out to him, to alert him to the fact she was there, but she guessed that he already knew. _But where is Yura…?!_

"Owch!" Inuyasha cursed to himself, landing flat on his face when Sesshoumaru had not-so-carefully snapped the threads that were restricting his arms. "What do you think you're doing?!" He snapped loudly at his elder brother, ankles still tied up by the fibers. Sesshoumaru ignored the plea and turned his attention up into the air, at something that Kagome didn't have the neck mobility to see. It was then that she simultaneously saw Inuyasha's bare arms and the blinding red cloth that covered her body. Tenderly, she took the thick material into her hands, looking down at it. _I remember…he gave this to me…_

"Get down, get down!" Huffed a frustrated looking Jaken, raising his staff and looking ready to smack her with it. "You mustn't interrupt Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Kagome sighed, having to fight against just falling back asleep. Her concerns and worries seemed dull, and the fact that Yura was nowhere in sight was an inconsequential fact that she would leave to the men. What was bothering her most was how tired she felt, and for some reason, she decided to blame Jaken for disturbing her rest. _I wonder if everything's all right…_

Jaken grumbled angrily, cursing his luck. This would be much easier for him to do if she had remained unconscious, but now, to make things every worse, she might pose a distraction for Sesshoumaru as well. _How is she even alive? _He thought, pulling a small vile of cloudy liquid from a leather pouch. _Yura__ must have access to poison that would kill the average youkai, never mind a useless human…_

"Here! Drink this!" He quacked out at her, thrusting the bottle into her face. She looked up at the toad skeptically, thinking about how good it would feel to just punch his little yellow eyes out. Having no other option, she took the bottle into her trembling hand, fumbling to pull out the cork. _I shouldn't be doing this…_she thought irritably to herself, wondering why the stupid youkai had decided to put it on so tight in the first place. _This is all my fault, anyway…_

She finally managed to pop out the cork, raising the glass to her lips and sloshing the liquid into her mouth. The vile material quite literally burned her tongue, but somehow she managed to down all that she had taken, gagging immediately after. "What…what was that?!"

"Quiet! I said quiet!!" Jaken snatched the glass back from her, regretting having wasted such precious medicine on a useless human. Kagome swallowed repetitively, desperately trying to get the harsh taste from her mouth. _Stupid toady little jerk…_She silently cursed at him, feeling worse rather than better. As far as her condition went, she was surprised that she was as up and alert as she was. In Sesshoumaru's room, when she had been warm and protected, she had felt tired and feverish, much weaker than she had when running from Yura. She wasn't sure if it was adrenaline or the poison letting up, but when she had felt herself in danger, her body seemed to be filled with reserve energy that suppressed the weak and nauseous effects of the poison. That wasn't to say, of course, that she felt 'good', or anything close to it. At the moment, she was in between the two, in no immediate danger because Yura was preoccupied with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, but still not safe enough to let her body have the rest it needed.

"Where are you aiming?!" Inuyasha barked loudly in the background, earning himself an exasperated sigh from Sesshoumaru. Kagome turned back to the fight, not having really registered the graveness of the situation until she saw the density of the hair that surrounded the pair. Sesshoumaru's hands were spread out in front of him, thick sprays of purple acid biting into the large black mass, although not making enough of a dent to prevent the millions and millions of threads from approaching them. Inuyasha, unable to see anything, swung out wildly in front of him, managing to dispose of some strands by luck, but almost landing in Sesshoumaru's path in the process. At some point Yura had descended from the tree branch, and was now combing hair out of her red tinted skull at an incredible pace, completely absorbed in her work. No longer as fleety and cocky as earlier, Yura had to concentrate wholly on the task at hand, the chore of being conscious of every single thread under her control taking a toll on her accuracy.

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise as she realized that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru couldn't handle the onslaught for long. "Jaken! You have to help them!"

The toad youkai just looked disgusted at hearing the human speak, nudging the back of her head with his staff. "Shut up! Lord Sesshoumaru-sama is more than capable of handling this, so don't even think of interfering." He angrily grumbled at her, the last smack the hardest.

Kagome winced, detest for Jaken welling up along with her concern for her friend and master. "But, at this rate…!"

~

_This is useless. _Sesshoumaru thought, his eyes darting to his surroundings instinctively, trying to assess the situation. Yura was obviously struggling, and Sesshoumaru knew that if he could somehow get behind her he would be able to dispose of her without problem. That, however, was not an option, as Inuyasha was proving to be more useless than he had originally thought and Yura was slowly gaining the upper hand. His sources were quickly depleting, and due to visual constrictions, making a sudden leap towards Yura would be an extremely risky move that would not only leave his life in the hands of luck, it would also mean the sure demise of Inuyasha, which would be hard to explain to his father.

"You look concerned, Sesshoumaru." Yura growled out, her eyes boring deeply into him, his head visible over the waves of dark hair. "I only regret that you won't get to see your human bitch die before you!"

She dropped the skull, taking the wad of strands into her hand and pulling back hard, the circle of hair immediately moving in to envelop the two brothers. Sesshoumaru twirled his body to the side, his arms immediately crossing over his chest, preparing himself for the web. Behind him, he could here Inuyasha curse as their backs met, and for just a moment he let down his own stone façade, realizing that it didn't matter if he were killed or merely trapped. Either way, it meant _her_ death. 

~

"WAIT!!" 

He immediately regretted his loss of control, as it was in the few moments of silence that followed that both he and Inuyasha realized that they were no longer in any immediate danger. Yura, rather than finishing through with her threat, was stopped by something that was not immediately evident. Her mouth was open just slightly, her eyes wide and wavering slightly, the hairs dropping from her hands and rendering the sea of black surrounding the brothers useless. Very slowly, she tilted her head down, tensing her palms over her stomach 

"Nn…" A look of displeasure and anger washed over her face, and when she turned her body just slightly, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru could see what had stopped her. The silver blade of her formerly discarded sword was now protruding from her abdomen, ominously sparkling under the sun. And behind her, the most surprising sight of all, was a bitter looking Kagome, her hands wrapped tightly around the hilt of the blade as she thrust it even deeper through Yura's back. "You…"

Kagome kept her eyes focused on Yura, doing her best to look and sound confident, her action being quite spontaneous and quite against her better judgment (not to mention Jaken's threats and beatings). "You will not touch Sesshoumaru or Inuyasha."

Yura remained silent for a few more moments, straining her neck to look back at Kagome, her piercing red eyes displaying the transformation from astonishment to detest. "Fool…" She hissed, swinging her arm back and catching Kagome off guard, sending her flying back into the ground near Jaken. She reached behind her and calmly pulled the sword from her stomach, turning completely and taking a few strides in the now hesitant human's direction. 

"Itte..te..te…" Kagome scuffled back, now looking amazed rather than threatening as she stared blankly at Yura. "I-It didn't work!!"

"Of course it didn't work!!" Jaken croaked, his scaly green face tinted red in anger. "What did you think you were doing?!"

"You, _human_…" Yura snarled, flexing her knuckles. "Have interfered for the last time…"

There was a barely perceptible rustling behind the youkai woman, and with speed and agility born from her rage, Yura effortlessly shot her arm behind her, called a few threads of hair to her fingers and cast them out, capturing Inuyasha's body once more in a tight web. 

Kagome looked around desperately, stumbling to her feet as she continued to retreat back, trying to find something, anything that she could protect herself with. There was only one option.

"Give this to me!"

"What do you think you're doing, human?! Let go, let go this INSTANT!"

Jaken and Kagome were in a tug of war for his staff, the human girl's hands tightly gripped up at the top, while Jaken pulled back just as frantically from down below. "You will give this to me RIGHT NOW!" Kagome reared her foot back and kicked Jaken square in the face, sending the toad demon rolling and tumbling backwards, leaving the staff in her possession.

"Oh? What are you going to do with that?" Yura cooed, bringing Kagome's attention back around. The human girl looked down at the staff in her hands, and then back to Yura, realizing that this really wasn't helping her. It was still better than being empty handed, though…

"Yura, your fight is with me." Sesshoumaru sounded calm, and even threatening, but it was too little too late. He knew if he made any sudden movements he would end up like Inuyasha. Yura was dangerous before, but now that she was worked up, it was a whole different battle.

"Quiet Sesshoumaru. You'll wait your turn."

"Don't worry, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome tried her best to sound secure and confident, although her own words brought no comfort. She was simply afraid that she would get him even farther into this than he already was, and due to Yura's peak in rage, she was genuinely concerned for his safety. _This is already my fault…If I had only kept my mouth shut earlier…If I only hadn't talked back to Yura…!_

Sesshoumaru flicked his gaze to his maid, somewhat taken aback by her command. Being that she was a human, he expected her to be crying and pleading at this point, as most of her species did when put in life-threatening situations. It wasn't only that; he knew just as well as Yura that there was very little she could do this time without any Shikon no tama to save her.

"See? She seems to have accepted her fate!" Yura declared energetically, raising her sword into the air, allowing a few fibers of hair to gather around the sparkling silver blade. "Your precious Sesshoumaru-_sama_ won't save you this time!"

Her voice rose to a possessed pitch, her eyes wide with the detest she felt for the human girl in front of her. She gripped both hands tightly around the hilt and sliced forward, all of the deadly hairs being sent soaring in the human's direction. Kagome said one last silent prayer to herself, closed her eyes tight, and did the first thing that came to mind. Mimicking Yura's action she slammed the staff down in front of her, presumably to use it to knock away the sharp fibers coming her way. Yet, the effect produced was much different than any of them could have imagined.

~

Kagome was nearly knocked back from the incredible force that was suddenly being emitted from Jaken's staff. With her eyes shut she could feel a burst of raw heat on her face, and the stick in her hands quivered slightly under the pressure of whatever it was spewing from the shrunken skulls that tackily adorned the head. Amidst the shimmering and crackling air Kagome felt something tighten around her arms, and in the moment of shock she blinked her eyes open, seeing a cylinder of flames erupting from the open mouth of one shrunken head. Again, something tugged back on her arms, and unable to control the sudden shift of movement she let go of the stick's shaft. It remained rigid on the ground, but due to the loss of control it slowly began to turn in Kagome's direction, the tower of flames spasming and sending a wall of pure heat in the human's direction. She heard two distance 'snaps' as the fibers restricting her arms were broken, but it was too late. The column of fire slammed into her body before she had the chance to do anything but raise her arms in front of her face.

Heat rushed by her face in an almost surreal manner when she realized that she hadn't been immediately killed. She managed to open her squinted eyes just slightly, seeing nothing but bright reds and oranges until a flickering shadow appeared through the haze, surrounding her and pulling her roughly into something soft. And then, with a strong gust of cool air on her body she sensed that she was out of the inferno, although her sight was obstructed by the gentle material her face was being pressed into. Relieved, she drew in a deep breath, a vague, comforting scent filling her senses. _Sesshoumaru__…?_

The youkai prince landed softly on the ground a good distance away, holding his battered maid protectively in his arms. He felt her shift a little against him before timidly pulling her head from his chest, looking up with wide, innocent eyes. "Sesshoumaru-sama…?"

He let out a sigh of relief. She was alright. Begrudgingly, he knew that he owed that to Inuyasha. "Where's Yura…?"

Sesshoumaru turned his head, searching their surroundings and seeing no signs of the youkai woman. Inuyasha had been let free the moment Yura had been engulfed in the flames, and was now headed there way, a strong look of concern on his face. "Raven!"

Kagome sat up in Sesshoumaru's arms to take a look herself. Upon seeing Inuyasha she smiled, waving her arm a little in the air, but pausing when she saw the skeptical look on her master's face.

"Where did Yura go?" Sesshoumaru asked his younger brother coolly, moving his eyes from the sheepish girl to the rather unscathed hanyou. Inuyasha stopped when he reached Sesshoumaru's side, looking relieved just to see that Kagome was all right. "She ran away. She looked pretty badly hurt."

"Aa." The youkai nodded in acknowledgement, placing his hands on his maid's shoulders and carefully beginning to remove the red coat that had just earlier saved her life.

"Lord Sesshoumaru-sama! Lord Sesshoumaru-samaaaa!" Jaken had managed to stop and retrieve his staff, now carrying it close by him as he stumbled over to the trio. Sesshoumaru looked in his direction, his concern for his maid no longer apparent on his face. "Jaken."

"D-Did you see what she did, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama?!" The toad youkai looked absolutely furious about the whole ordeal. "Really, a useless human ta-UWAAK!"

Inuyasha, more annoyed with Jaken than usual, took a lesson from Kagome and didn't hesitate to kick the obnoxious servant in the stomach, sending him rolling and bouncing back like a child's ball. However, Sesshoumaru's attention was focused on something else. Right as he looked away the girl in his arms had fallen limp into his body, the fever that he believed to be gone quickly bringing the red back to her cheeks. He searched her face, shaking her just slightly, trying to elicit some sort of reaction. _What happened…? She was fine just a second ago…_

"You deserve it!" Inuyasha called out to the griping Jaken, catching Sesshoumaru's movement from the corner of his eye. "Sesshoumaru? Wait, where are you going?"

"Here." Inuyasha caught the red coat that was abruptly tossed to him, watching his elder brother suspiciously. "Don't forget what I said." Sesshoumaru craned his neck to look back at Inuyasha, carefully protecting his maid from sight. "I don't want you anywhere near my property."

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" Inuyasha growled after Sesshoumaru, who had already proceeded with walking away. "She's just as much a concern to me as to you! I was the one here first, remember?!"

Sesshoumaru didn't respond to that, simply because he couldn't. As much as he resented his brother for it, he was right. Inuyasha had been the one to save the girl's life not once but twice that day, and even he being superior in both age and skill had done close to nothing. It was only one more thing to worry about, as it seemed that Yura was still out there, and with the news from Kouga…_Now…I can never let her out of my sight._

~

Again, Kagome found herself standing on the shore of a sparkling silver ocean, cool and refreshing waves rolling up to her ankles. It wasn't really a feeling of waking up, but of realizing that she was awake, and the calm sensations were the same as they were the last time she found herself in this place. _How did I get here again…?_

"Are you ready?"

Kagome jumped a little at the sound of a very familiar voice, turning her head to acknowledge a presence that she could already sense was there. "Ready…? For what?"

"To go." Sesshoumaru responded with a surprising amount of emotion, his eyes wide and almost human-esque. 

"Go? Go where?"

"Come on. I'll show you." In an uncharacteristic move, he reached forward and gently grabbed Kagome's hand, beginning to lead her out into the wide, expanding sea. 

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kagome allowed him to pull her forward a few steps, but was still somewhat concerned at his strange behavior. She had never seen him acting so…so _real_ before.

"No need to be so polite!" He nearly exclaimed, a warm smile washing over his face. That one really was too much for Kagome.

She pulled back on her hand, stopping Sesshoumaru's descent into the ocean. After a short pause, she finally managed to choke out, "…What?"

He looked genuinely concerned with her reluctance, eyebrows furrowed together much in the manner her brother's did whenever she refused to play with him. "Come on. We have to go."

"No…" Kagome muttered, trying to pull her hand back from him. Yes, she had always wanted to see him smile, but this Sesshoumaru just wasn't real. His face, his touch, his presence, it all seemed wrong. She heard a rushing sound, much like that of a river, and looked down to see that the ocean was swirling up around them, the now frigid water biting at her exposed legs. "Let go…"

He said and did nothing. "Let go!" She repeated, pulling more desperately, realizing that if the water kept up at this rate they would both be completely submerged. 

"No." Kagome looked up, the water now at her stomach, and was shocked to see that it was no longer Sesshoumaru standing in front of her. Sharp nails dug into the skin of her arm, red eyes piercing deeply into her blue ones. "Sesshoumaru can't save you this time."

"Yura!" Just as the name left her lips cold water flowed into Kagome's mouth, and before she knew it she was surrounded by freezing black water. With Yura suddenly gone from sight she spun around frantically in the thick ocean water, no longer knowing which direction was up or down, left or right. Her eyes stung from the cold, and just as she was about to give up, she saw something sparkling above her. Having no other leads and feeling that this was her last chance, she swum towards the tiny glimmer, reaching out in front of her as her lungs screamed for air. _A  little__ more…_She stretched out her fingers as far as possible. _Only a little more…_

The moment she felt as if she couldn't hold her breath any longer her fingers touched upon something smooth and round: a small jewel. It rolled easily into her hand, its warm shine pulsing once or twice before exploding outwards, engulfing Kagome's body in a wave of light.

~

Without even willing it to do so Kagome's body shot up from its lying position, but was sent right back down when her forehead connected with something hard. "Uuuuugh…"

She opened her eyes a little and looked around, trying to register just where she was and just what happened. "Yura…" She grumbled, the bright light flooding into her vision greatly bothering her. "Where did…"

"Nn." She felt a small movement on the soft material she was lying on and turned her head to see Sesshoumaru sitting just a few inches away from her arm, tenderly rubbing his forehead. "What are you-…"

"YURA!" Kagome gasped out, pushing herself up and suddenly beginning to swat at a very confused youkai. "Get away!!"

Sesshoumaru kept his fingers pressed on his forehead, staring at his maid with a sort of dull astonishment that only barely expressed his real surprise. "Just how hard did you hit your head?"

Kagome opened her mouth to scream out again, but paused when she saw an easily recognizable look of disgust on Sesshoumaru's face. "Se-Sesshoumaru-sama?!" She stuttered out, just now grasping the fact that she was in his room, and just now remembering that Yura had already run away.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What has gotten into you?" She stared up at him with an unreadable expression, a strange mix of surprise, happiness, relief, and…Before he had the chance to finish his thoughts the human girl propelled herself forward, grasping the thick material of his robe and burying her face into it, holding onto him tightly. "Sesshoumaru-sama…"

The youkai prince, totally caught off guard, could do nothing but stare down at the girl with his mouth slightly agape. Just a few moments earlier he had been brought to the bed by a sudden onset of gagging and choking, which had quickly escalated to desperate gasps for air, and just as he was about to call Jaken in once again the human girl shot up and smacked straight into his forehead, leading to the situation he found himself in now. "Sesshoumaru-sama…" She quietly repeated, the vulnerability in her voice pulling at his chest.

Instinctively rather than consciously Sesshoumaru gently placed his hands on his maid's back, although not going so far as to do anything like hug or embrace her. His skin crawled just slightly at the familiar energy that was now strongly being emitted from her body, although he had been aware of the source for the past few hours. At first he couldn't seem to understand why her health was fluctuating so dramatically. Why she had seemed so energetic and resourceful during the squall with Yura, but afterwards she could barely even breathe, never mind move. That she had survived any type of poison in the first place was shocking, and the fact that it had been Yura supplying it made it even harder to believe. But when he had gently touched the girl's skin during her slow recovery, he had felt a very dim energy emanating from her, one that was just familiar enough for him to place. It was the same presence he had felt coming from the Shikon no Tama.

~

**Author's Note: **T_T This was the hardest chapter I've written yet. Really. That's why it took so long. Usually I sit down in a period of one to two days and just totally get involved and write. But not this baby. Because, in this one, the whole chapter revolves around fighting, and let's face it. I SUCK at fighting scenes. This was almost impossible for me to write, and I got about a paragraph done every day. I'd sit down, get a brain blockage because I didn't know where to take the action, then I'd get distracted, then I'd go off and do something else. But when the fighting ended the writing came smoothly and naturally again, which is why I'd like to assure you that the next chapter will not only be longer, but will come sooner. :D This one's only 9 pages. I'm sorry! It was just so very hard for me to write.

A few shout-outs of my lovelies. Clow angel, who I'm actually talking to through AIM right now, helped motivate me and inspire me to get this done the best I could. I'm so sorry if I disappointed anyone, I know this isn't one of my better chapters…Mariana went far enough to actually comment in my blog, which was very flattering, and so I would like to dedicate some of this to her as well. You all show so much support, and you're all so very nice, and I can't believe I'm lucky enough to have readers who care enough to give me kind words and to actually read this even though I know it gets very long, very tedious, very boring, etc. etc. At first I just kind of wrote this for the fun of it, but now it's all for you. I wish I could reply to all of your comments but that would just take forever and that'd make it so this wouldn't get up tonight and I know you probably aren't reading this at all right now so fine!

And yeah, I know that last scene was a little confusing, but basically the idea is Kagome is alive/was able to function because of the Shikon no Tama's power. I'll get more into that next chapter, but the next chapter will mostly focus on Sesshoumaru, Kagome, and the news from Kouga. Everyone remember that? Ooooh…I just briefly mentioned it in this chapter. I must've read the fight scene over a billion times due to my short attention span, but still, there are bound to be mistakes, and if there's anything major I beg you to point it out. I mean, sometimes we all make mistakes, so if it's just a little harmless misspelling it's all right…Didn't really read over the last scene. Sorry, but it's not that long so hey, how many mistakes could I have made, right? Right?!

On a note, someone was kind enough to e-mail me and tell me that their story was a lot like mine, and they didn't want me to get mad. Now, I read her story, and it is similar to mine, but really, I don't mind. So no one give this girl a hard time, okay? Otherwise I'll get mad, and you don't want me to get mad. We're all authors. No one's going to get famous off of this, and if she does, that's only because she was able to execute it better than I was. I'm not here to compete, or anything like that. So, that's just a thought.

All right, fine, I'm done. I love you all SO SO SO SO much and I want you all to look forward to a better chapter next time. I hope to get it done by next week. :D I mean it this time! I swear to god I do! No more fighting…*happy happy* No more fighting!!

Oh! And PS! I had gotten nominated for an award at A Single Spark! You Kag/Sess fans probably all know what that is. Aaaah, I don't think I won, but still, for my first fic ever to get nominated for anything…Just worth mentioning, because it's kind of a point of pride that my work really is improving. Love love love you all!


	17. Chapter 17 Keep From You!

**Author's Note:** I have NO excuse to why this is a year late. Inuyasha doesn't belong to me.

* * *

The room was filled with the uniform sound of rain pounding on the ground outside. Kagome stood by the window with a white towel wrapped around her shoulders, collecting the stray drops of water that occasionally fell from her wet hair. It had taken an hour of convincing but she had finally managed to persuade Sesshoumaru to allow her to go and take a bath. He had wandered off somewhere, probably to go see his father about a letter that Jaken had been talking about, and when she returned the room was dim and empty. Kagome was feeling much better, all things considered. Her throat was still a little sore, but that was more likely from arguing with her master than from any lingering effects of the poison.

The view from the window was gray. The sky was gray, the ground was gray, the grass and the trees were gray, and the gray halo of sun behind the gray clouds was fading away into the gray horizon. Kagome inhaled a deep breath of the humid air and let it out in a heavy sigh. She felt like she should've been more frightened than she was. Unconsciously, she forced herself to imagine Yura's figure dropping into the frame of the window. But, it was to no use, as her mind was undoubtedly too sleep-heavy and waterlogged to react to anything, although the heaviness in her chest told her that she would feel very differently once she worked up the courage to actually take what had happened seriously.

Just as she was thinking that there was a knock at the door, to which she reacted to surprisingly calmly. With a tired look, as if she was not quite sure if what she heard was real, she watched patiently. Again, there was a loud wooden 'thump.'

"Sesshoumaru, open the door!" Kagome let out another humid sigh. It was Inuyasha. She floated slowly across the floor like a solid, wet apparition, and placed her hand onto the doorknob, opening it ever so slightly.

Before Kagome had the chance to inform him that no, Sesshoumaru wasn't here right now, but yes, he could be back any second and it'd be best if he left, Inuyasha shoved the door open with his whole body, as if he had been planning just seconds before to barge in uninvited. Kagome managed to maintain her balance, but she did quietly curse a few times, surprised by the sudden pain of the heavy wood of the door slamming her shoulder that contrasted so drastically with the thick mellowness of her mind. "Inuyasha…" She growled.

"Raven!" Inuyasha looked surprised, but relieved. He looked like he was about to say something else, but immediately softened his expression and scanned the room. "Where's Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome continued to rub her arm, stepping behind Inuyasha and sticking her head out into the hallway, looking this way and that. "He's not here right now, but he'll be furious if he finds you here…"

"I don't care! I wanted to see you!" Immediately after the words left his mouth the hanyou's face flushed a bright red color, Kagome's embarrassment not far behind. "I…I mean…"

"I'm sorry…" The human girl replied, trying to brush off the awkwardness, turning her back to the door. "I just…don't want to cause any more trouble…"

"You idiot. That's not important." Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, somewhat surprised. "The one who had us all worried was you! When you collapsed earlier, I really thought…"

_Inuyasha__…_She couldn't help but smile at the unexpected compassion he was showing towards her. "I'm all right. Really. And, I wanted to thank you…for all you had done for me. If it hadn't been for you…"

He grinned down at her, basking in the implied compliment. "We all know you'd be lost without me." His face darkened considerably after that, something else concerning him. "But, more importantly…Are you really all right? Especially with the news…"

"News…?" Kagome echoed. "What news?"

"What do you mean 'what news'? I mean about you and Sesshoumaru going to meet Kouga."

Kagome was genuinely shocked to hear that, feeling as if she had just been struck in the face. "…Going to meet Kouga…when…?"

Inuyasha rubbed the back of his neck, raising an eyebrow at the human. "He really didn't tell you? I overheard one of my father's conversations earlier…just before the Yura incident, actually…Kouga is waiting for Sesshoumaru in Fudai right now. Apparently he found whatever it was that Sesshoumaru wanted."

Kagome swallowed a thick lump in her throat. "…He is? He did?"

"Are you-…" Inuyasha began, looking concerned with the human's ignorance, but pausing when his white ears swiveled on his head. "Damn!" He suddenly cursed, brushing past Kagome and towards the door. "I'll talk to you later!" And with that he bolted out of sight, leaving a confused Kagome alone with a tender, sore arm.

Only a few seconds later, when it was finally dawning on Kagome why Inuyasha would leave in such a rush, Sesshoumaru appeared in the doorway. Fortunately for her, and even more fortunately for Inuyasha, the youkai was concentrating on a document in his hands and simply strode by his maid without even moving his head to recognize her presence. As relieved as she was that she didn't have to give an excuse to why she was standing there stupidly with the door wide open, she found his total lack of acknowledgement a little unsettling. She silently watched as he paced over to his desk, threw the papers onto the wooden surface, and then slid down into his chair, lost deep in thought.

"Um…"

Sesshoumaru distractedly looked up from the empty section of desk he had been staring at, meeting his maid with a calm gaze. "You're back?"

She was a little taken aback with the indifference, especially considering the concern he had been showing her for the past few hours. "Yeah…"

He examined her up and down for a while before turning his back towards her once more, looking down at the seemingly meaningless jumble of papers in front of him. "In that case, you should probably get some rest."

Kagome furrowed her eyebrows together. "I'm…feeling much better, now."

Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly considering Sesshoumaru's personality, he didn't respond. As insulted as she was, Kagome said nothing more and instead walked back to the window. She watched the rain splatter and disperse on the glass in angry contemplation, her sharp brown eyes piercing out into the wilderness and searching through the wet air for an explanation for Sesshoumaru's strange behavior.

_Kouga__ is waiting for Sesshoumaru in Fudai right now._

Kagome pursed her lips. _He was lying, right? If Sesshoumaru knew…he wouldn't…He would tell me…right?_

"Sesshoumaru…" She had said his name without even thinking, and when she realized that she was too mad to talk to him it was already said and he had already turned to bore suspiciously down at her from across the room.

She opened her mouth to ask him if it was true, to ask him if Inuyasha was just lying, to ask him if he had anything at all that he wanted to tell her, but hesitated in which question to choose and ended up just snapping her mouth closed again.

When he saw that she had nothing to say he looked to the letter in his hand again, brushing off the awkwardness without even the slightest effort to make her feel unnecessarily uncomfortable. Kagome narrowed her eyes, hurt. But she didn't want to believe what Inuyasha said; she wouldn't believe it, because there was no way it was true. Sesshoumaru would tell her, if only to rub it in her face, to gloat that he would never have to deal with her human idiocy again. _But…why would Inuyasha lie about something like that?_

She glanced over to Sesshoumaru again, who was focusing singularly on the letter he held tensely in his one hand, the other running a finger loosely along the corner of the desk. She then looked out the window again, watching the water pound even harder against the stone sill on the other side of the glass. _Why would Inuyasha lie? Why would he lie? _Kagome raised her hands to her head, running her fingers into her damp hair and beginning to pace back and forth across the rug. She wandered over to one side of the room, studied the wall there for a moment, and then paced back to where she started, turning to the window and letting her arms go loose to her sides. As she did, the towel that had been sitting on her shoulders slid down her back a little before flopping to the ground with a heavy 'sump'. Kagome looked down at the floor in surprise, then immediately up at Sesshoumaru. He hadn't moved. She bit her lip in exasperation and raised her hands once again to her head, recommencing her nervous pacing.

Sesshoumaru ignored the human girl behind him, choosing to disregard her nervous actions, recognizing them by his instincts but not taking time to consider them. He was far too concerned with the letter he had just fetched from his father's room, a simply written paragraph on a single piece of paper that was ended with a messily scratched out 'Kouga'. The bulk of the packet that was sitting on his desk consisted of maps he had borrowed from his father's office.

_Lord Sesshoumaru,_

_As I had informed you earlier, I have secured the Tetsusaiga and am now waiting for you in the city of Fudai to end our transaction, and hopefully, the animosity that has existed between us for far too long. I apologize for my inability to bring it directly to you, but it has become a danger to travel with and the protection that my clan has here insures that it will remain safe until the time that you come. I will be awaiting you at Kobe Palace on the 22nd, and please tell the girl that I am looking forward to seeing her again._

_Kouga_

Sesshoumaru finally let the letter drop down to the desk from his tense grasp, having memorized every single word of it and finding no further excuse to keep on staring at it. _The animosity…what nonsense is this. _With a deep sigh that could be easily confused with a growl, he began shuffling through the different scattered pieces of map. _Niiwa__, Tanabe, Kiriyama…Fudai. _Having found what he was looking for he shoved everything else to the side, allowing the old parchments to slide from the desk and scatter noisily onto the ground.

Having been occupying herself with folding the towel she had dropped, Kagome was startled by the sudden fluttering noise. She turned to Sesshoumaru to see if he had finished, if he had calmed down and was perhaps ready to go back to focusing on her…

Kagome paused at her own thoughts, her face flushing over with embarrassment. _What am I talking about…?_

However, the youkai was, if anything else, even more absorbed in the map in front of him than he had been with the letter and had not shown the least bit of interest in the human girl's actions behind him. Kagome raised a hand to her forehead and quickly checked herself for a temperature. Maybe he was right? Maybe she was still sick…

Thunder suddenly crashed outside, and a second of light flashed a box of white across the room before it once again fell to shadow, seemingly darker than it had been just a few moments before. Kagome's whole body shook with the unexpected noise, and she instinctually turned to Sesshoumaru for protection from something that she couldn't quite explain.

_Sesshoumaru__…_She frowned, her shoulders still tense but her face unusually sad. He hadn't even looked up. He, who was usually so perceptive to even her slightest mood swings, hadn't even noticed her obvious fear. With another characteristic sigh, she tilted her head towards the window, then back to Sesshoumaru, and then sighed again, and then looked down to the old pieces of paper that were still lying scattered on the ground. _Well…_She thought dully. _He probably won't mind…_

Deciding that it was the least that she could do, Kagome quietly made her way around the desk, her usually shuffling footsteps hidden by the hissing of the rain outside. When she had made it to the other side of his desk, only a few feet away from where he was sitting, she squatted down and began picking up the papers one by one. _Hm__…_She had quickly realized that they were maps, but of what, she wasn't sure. The paper was so old that any land features were hard to distinguish and the writing was in such old, complicated kanji that she couldn't make it out. Curiously, she turned one of the pieces over, examining the back for any hints to what it was.

"What are you doing?"

Kagome looked up, surprised more by her master's voice than by the earlier thunder. Her eyes met with his, and she found herself temporarily unable to pull her thoughts together. She just remained there, crouched for a few moments, before she realized that she had in fact been doing something just a second earlier.

"I'm picking these up for you."

An angry look suddenly flashed through Sesshoumaru's gold eyes, one that brinked on the edge of violent. He abruptly swung his fist down and snatched the papers from Kagome's unsuspecting grasp, pulling them towards him protectively. "I do not remember giving you permission to look through my belongings."

Kagome's mouth dropped agape in indignant amazement. "Ex-excuse me!"

"Do not speak to me again. You are nothing but a distraction."

"A dis-…"

"_Do not speak to me again."_

Kagome furrowed her brows together, unable to do anything but stare up at the youkai in disbelief. The moment that Sesshoumaru looked away, opening one of his drawers to stuff the papers inside and then shut it with a loud, abrupt 'snap', Kagome dropped her eyes to the floor.

Another clap of thunder and a flash of lightning electrified the air around them, and Kagome once again looked up, the sudden sound shaking away the tears that had been gathering in her eyes. She pulled her lower lip into her mouth, chewing on the skin pensively, and pushed herself weakly onto her feet. Sesshoumaru was, as before, leaning protectively over the remaining few papers in front of him, once again ignoring the human's presence.

Without so much as a sigh, Kagome made her way back to the window in silence, the pressure she was putting on her lip the only thing that distracted her from her sudden urge to cry. She stood there, kicking her bare foot idly into the rug, the towel still held tightly in one arm. _Why would Inuyasha lie…?_

The air in the room seemed to rumble with the heavy rain outside, and Kagome once again found herself gazing longingly out into the dark gray woods, her mind wandering onto the small shrine at which she once lived. It seemed like forever to her, and she silently wondered to herself if she would even recognize her brother if she saw him. And if he would recognize her…

The rumbling in the air that Kagome had just assumed was her own artistic perception suddenly became much stronger, enough so that the glass of the window began to rattle slightly in the wall. She took a step back, instinctually clutching one hand to her chest, looking around the room curiously. Even Sesshoumaru in his detached state had noticed the sudden disturbance and had pushed back in his chair slightly, glancing around the room as well. Kagome turned suddenly to Sesshoumaru, her eyes wide with confusion. He met her gaze, and for that moment the earth beneath them seemed to calm down once again until the sky outside abruptly exploded with light, and with a loud _crack_ the glass window burst inward to the room and shattered into a thousand, sparkling pieces, showering Kagome with glass shards and the pouring rain blowing in from outside.

Sesshoumaru was on his feet in a second, just in time to catch Kagome's collapsing figure.

* * *

"NARAKU!"

The heavy thumping of footsteps could be heard inside Inutaisho's chambers, as well as the shattering of glass. Inutaisho had returned to his room earlier to find his door ajar and the wall that separated his office from the hidden shrine where he housed items of importance in rubble on the ground. He sensed Naraku's presence the moment he stepped inside, although he was surprised to see that not Naraku, but a beautiful young human was standing over the case that held the Shikon no Tama, the glass that had once enclosed it now lying in jagged pieces around her.

The woman looked surprised to see him and hesitated with the Shikon no Tama held tightly in her pale hands, an unnatural look of fear shining in her wide eyes. She paused only briefly before turning and disappearing out a second opening that was at some point opened in the castle's outer wall, allowing the pouring rain to blow into the dimly lit shrine and soak the tatami mats that adorned the floor there. Inutaisho bounded after her with unbelievable speed for a creature his size, leaping down the one floor to the wet forest ground and then in front of the woman, who seemed to be running away unenthusiastically, as if she wanted to be caught. The large youkai's claw was digging into the woman's neck in an instant, about to tear the whole head off when the jewel in her hands began to glow with a hazy, green light. The ground shook with the force of the power being emitted from both Inutaisho and the now active Shikon no Tama, the vibrations increasing until, in a moment of tranquility, the green light swelled and exploded around them, engulfing the whole forest and temporarily halting the rain in the air.

When the light cleared, Inutaisho fell to his knees, the Shikon no Tama clinking down into the wet earth next to him. The woman was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The next thing Kagome knew she was on her knees, a sharp pain piercing behind her eyes causing her to shut her eyelids tight and press her hand to her forehead, overwhelmed by the blinding light and the images she had seen in the midst of it. It took her a few moments to gather her scattered senses, and when she did she became acutely aware of the white warmth that was surrounding her. She looked up in surprise, her eyes meeting the face of a dazed looking Sesshoumaru, one arm up as if to block his sight and the other held protectively around his maid. He temporarily held his eyes shut, then opened them quickly again, letting his arm hang down loosely beside him and looking down at the human girl with an almost suspicious expression.

For a few moments the only sound that could be heard was the rain pounding not only outside but also in onto Sesshoumaru's rug, that same rain falling onto his back as he hovered closely over his maid's crouched figure, the ground under and surrounding them covered in shards of silver glass.

Kagome abruptly rose from the ground, turning away from Sesshoumaru and the cold, wet wind blowing in from the vacant window, her eyes wide in realization. "The Shikon no Tama…!"

Sesshoumaru remained silent and motionless where he had been, the only change being that his expression had melted back into one of apathy, his eyes narrowed towards the ground in concentration. The human girl turned back to her master, anxious. "Sesshoumaru…"

He continued to stare at the ground, as if trying to focus on something. _Sesshoumaru__…_Kagome frowned in concern. _Has the Shikon no Tama's light blinded him…?_

The youkai prince suddenly stood, swiveling his body to Kagome and bringing his eyes to bore down into her. Although relieved, the human felt vulnerable under his strict glare, as if she had done something wrong. The memories of his angry words only a little while earlier, of the warmth of his arm around her, of the way he protectively hovered over her, of what she saw for that instant in the light of the Shikon no Tama…_The Shikon no Tama! _Kagome managed to pull her gaze away, looking to make a move to the door. _How did I forget…!_

However, Sesshoumaru was much quicker than the fragile human girl, and with seemingly unimpeded vision he slipped by her, heading for the hallway. Kagome excitedly prepared to follow after him, but with only one step she almost fell to her knees again, the glass shards from the window cutting into the tender skin of her feet and immediately causing blood to begin spilling out onto the rug. She let out a yelp of surprise rather than pain, as the cuts were so smooth they were nearly unnoticeable, and as a result of momentum she took another step forward, her other foot being gouged out by a few larger jagged shards of glass. She was about to topple over when she felt an arm come under her knees and catch her behind her back, pulling her up into the air.

Sesshoumaru didn't even look at her as he carried her effortlessly out into the hallway, and he didn't even seem phased by the blood that dripped down his sleeve and onto the ground. Kagome, on the other hand, was stunned, and couldn't help but stare up at Sesshoumaru in shock and even admiration. For a moment she wasn't sure if she was going to start laughing or crying, but in the end she just stared, her earlier discovery suddenly becoming inconsequential. As long as he was here right now, she didn't have to think about what it meant. She didn't need to think about anything, because it didn't matter.

_Sesshoumaru__ will protect me…Sesshoumaru will…_

* * *

"Raven-chan!" Rin nearly leaped up into Kagome's lap when she saw her, her eyes gleaming with happiness. Next to Kagome were Miroku and Sango, Miroku looking no more concerned than usual while Sango was holding some kitchen napkins up to Kagome's bleeding feet. After the incident most of the residents of the castle had gathered together, the maids in the kitchen and their lords and masters in the grand dining room; not for any particular reason but because it was more casual for the two groups to be separated. The only man in the room was Miroku, who was of course quite pleased about it, with his eyes trailing around the room with lecherous delight.

"Rin!" Kagome smiled back at the girl, pulling her up onto the counter she was sitting on. "Are you okay?"

The little girl ignored her question, instead barraging Kagome with a wave of her own. "Oh Raven-chan are you okay? I was so worried about you and I'm…" Her eyebrows suddenly furrowed together, a look of sadness crossing the girl's usually bright face. "I'm so sorry Raven-chan, I didn't know, I didn't know that there was anything wrong with the cake, oh please forgive me, I didn't mean to hurt you or make Sesshoumaru-sama sad, please forgive Rin!"

"Oh Rin-chan!" Kagome wrapped her arms around the little girl, hugging her tightly. "It wasn't your fault! Of course I'm not mad!"

Rin quickly returned the hug before abruptly pushing out of her arms and hopping back down onto the ground. "Where's Sesshoumaru-sama?"

With somewhat of a surprised look, Kagome tried to explain. "Sesshoumaru is-…"

"Sesshoumaru-_sama_." Rin corrected.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama is in the dining hall right now, with all of the other youkai…"

A disappointed look overtook the young girl's face and she looked to the ground, kicking her foot across it sadly. "Oh…" She then looked up, as if just remembering something, and she turned to Kagome once again, a smile once again lightening her face. "I'm going to go find Jaken-sama! Bye-bye!" And with that she disappeared into the crowds of maids.

"Wow…" Sango watched Rin as she hopped off. "What a kid."

"Mm…" Kagome nodded in agreement, still staring off in the direction that the little girl had just disappeared off into. "I'm going to miss her…"

Sango blinked in surprise at the comment, leaning closer to Kagome, a suspicious look on her face. "What do you mean by that?"

"Raven-san, I must ask you something…" Miroku suddenly, and unexpectedly, interrupted the two, having somehow managed to pull his eyes away from the countless giggling maids to turn to Sango and Kagome. "What is it between you and Sesshoumaru? It seems that everyone is talking about you…"

And, as he said, many of the girls were huddled together in whispering groups, occasionally laughing and pointing or looking in Kagome's direction. They were no doubt gossiping about Kagome's entrance an hour or so earlier when Sesshoumaru had carried her in in his arms, holding her much like a groom does for his new bride. It didn't help that she was dressed in a rather nice white nightgown, one that was far from standard apparel for the maids, causing her to drastically stick out from the black dresses that every single other girl was wearing. The raven-haired girl looked insulted by the insinuation but at the same time could not hide the blush on her face. "What are you talking about, Miroku? There isn't anything! I just cut my feet, is all, and I couldn't walk. He couldn't just leave me alone on the floor, could he?"

Sango seemed to have forgotten about Kagome's earlier comment and joined Miroku in her suspicious interrogations. "Well, he _is_ Sesshoumaru…I know I've heard of him doing more heartless things…"

"Come on, Sango-chan!" Kagome waved her hands frantically in her defense, the blush on her face darkening. "You don't really think…"

Miroku and Sango both looked the girl up and down closely for a few silent minutes, before turning to each other and smiling comfortably, as if they too had realized the impossibility of what they were saying. "Yeah. It couldn't be. Sesshoumaru's not capable of anything like _that._"

Kagome laughed along with them, although in her mind she felt somewhat insulted. What did Sango or Miroku know about Sesshoumaru? They didn't have any right to say things like that!

"Oh, by the way Raven-chan." Sango bunched up the now blood-soaked napkins onto the counter next to her, adding to an already large pile. "Inuyasha has been really worried about you lately. You should see him to assure him that you're all right."

"I saw him this morning…" Kagome bent her leg up to rest on her other knee, touching the bottom of her foot tenderly. The bleeding had slowed significantly, although the cuts were deep and starting to sting.

Miroku grinned devilishly, nudging Sango with his elbow. "Yeah, a little too worried, perhaps?"

"Inuyasha and Raven-chan, huh…?" Sango paused a moment to consider the idea. Kagome looked nothing but horrified.

"What are you talking about?" She fumed. "Can't you leave me alone for just a few minutes! You're the two who have been getting a little too comfy!"

It was Sango's turn to be embarrassed, although Miroku nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, me and Sango have crossed a new bridge in our relationship."

Sango smacked his hand away as he tried to slide it around her shoulder, hissing angrily at him. "In your dreams, pervert!"

Kagome laughed at the two, happy to have distracted them from their ideas on her imagined love life, and browsed the room with her eyes. _Just as I expected…_She thought to herself, the smile slowly fading from her face. _Kagura__ and Kanna aren't here…Something must have happened with Naraku._

It was then that something caught her eye; a white piece of paper pinned on the wall behind some older looking maids that were entering in and out of the kitchen closet. She remembered seeing it earlier when searching for the flowers for Sesshoumaru's room. It was a calendar.

"Hey, Sango-chan…" Kagome tenderly lowered herself down off the counter. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Sango was surprised by her sudden movement, moving to put an arm around her and support her friend. "Wait, are you sure you're okay?"

Kagome waved her off, nodding. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It hardly even hurts anymore. I'll be right back, I promise. Okay?"

With an apprehensive look Sango unhappily agreed, telling her to be careful. Kagome's earlier claim that 'it hardly even hurt' wasn't exactly the truth, but as long as she walked awkwardly on the sides of her feet she knew she could manage.

After pushing through nearly fifty girls, receiving strange and suspicious looks from at least forty-five of them in the process, Kagome made her way to the calendar. Behind her she could vaguely hear Sango's voice calling after her with relative urgency, but she hardly heard her. The world around her became swamped with haziness the moment her eyes fell on the messily scratched number on the calendar in front of her.

"Raven-chan!" Sango quickly made her way over to Kagome, placing her hand on her shoulder the moment she got there, trying to shake her out of her trance. "Raven-chan, Sesshoumaru is…"

Kagome turned slowly to look up at Sango, her expression suddenly serious and melancholy. _The 17th…? How could it already be…?_

Sango pointed to the door, leaning in and whispering carefully into her friend's ear. "Sesshoumaru is out in the hall."

"Huh…?" Kagome glanced towards the doorway, unable to see him.

"I think he's waiting for you." Sango continued. Kagome looked back to Sango, then to the ground, seeming as if she were thinking hard on something.

"Raven-chan…?" Sango blinked, a little surprised by her friend's sudden strange behavior. "Are you all right."

Kagome looked up at her, suddenly on the brink of tears, and leaped forward suddenly and wrapped her arms tightly around Sango's neck. "Sango-chan! Thank you for everything!"

Sango stumbled back a little, unable to respond from the sudden shock of the hug. "Raven-chan…?"

"I'll see you later, okay!" Kagome nearly yelled at her, nodding. "Okay? I promise! I'll definitely see you again!"

And with that she headed towards the door, ignoring the pain in her once again bleeding feet to hurry away as quickly as possible, leaving Sango to stare dumbly after her and some of the attentive maids to increase their excited gossiping as she disappeared out into the darkness of the halls.

* * *

_An intense light filled the room, momentarily blinding Kagome. She squinted her eyes to avoid whatever it was that she thought may be coming, but relaxed again when she realized that the world around her had gone quiet. The air was alive with a bright green warmth, and when she looked to the window she could see the glass swelling and warping from some sort of pressure outside. _

_She wasn't sure why, but she felt tired suddenly, as if she had just exerted some sort of great effort. Even if she had wanted to move she had the idea that she wouldn't be able to, as if there wasn't enough time to do it, and all she could do was think. Somehow, for a reason she didn't quite understand, she turned her head very, very slowly to the side, to see Sesshoumaru seemingly suspended in the air in the process of leaping up from his chair. And, on the desk in front of him, her eyes were automatically drawn to the map that he had been so ferociously protecting earlier._

_Kagome's mouth opened a little as she realized what it was written on the corner of the sheet._

_'Sesshoumaru-sama…' She dully thought, her eyes glued to the word 'Fudai' that seemed to be glowing from it's place on the paper. 'Why don't you just tell me…?'_

_Just after that thought a shot of electricity pierced through the air like a bullet, shattering the warped glass and piercing through Kagome's forehead. She fell to the ground, unconscious. _

* * *

Sesshoumaru was waiting for his maid outside the door, an upset, stoic look in his narrowed eyes. He watched her stumble out towards him and grabbed onto her arm as soon as she was close enough, supporting most of her weight. "Sesshoumaru-sama…" She said quietly, looking up at him. "The Shikon no Tama, is it…?"

The youkai prince took his time in answering her, his eyes narrowed down at the drops of blood that were oozing out from under her feet. _This stupid human…_The corners of his mouth turned downward in disapproval, as he was at a loss of what he was supposed to do with the girl in her current state. He couldn't carry her again, at risk of intensifying the rumors that he knew were already circulating over the compassion and concern he had been showing towards the human maid, and yet at the same time he couldn't very well allow her to walk on her own. She was in obvious pain, not to mention her blood was already becoming smeared across the floors.

"My father…" Sesshoumaru began, moving his eyes back up to his maid's face. "My father wishes to speak with you."

Kagome's eyes widened in alarm. "Your father? Why does he…? Wait, Sesshoumaru-sama, what are you…" She hadn't even finished her sentence when Sesshoumaru suddenly grabbed her around her waist and hoisted her up horizontally under his arm as if she were some sort of package or animal, swiftly heading down the hall towards the dining room.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Kagome squealed, her hair falling over her face. "What are you doing!"

Without even looking down at her, Sesshoumaru quickened his pace, anxious to get out of the halls where everyone could see the childish commotion she was making. "My father has demanded to see you."

Kagome ceased her kicking and flailing, noticing the unnatural apprehension in her master's voice. "Why…?"

Sesshoumaru stopped in front of the large, extravagant dining room doors, pausing before he raised his hand to open them. With a deep look of disapproval he moved his eyes down to her, his lips curled up in an angry frown.

"He suspects you of attempting to steal the Shikon no Tama."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY OTHER THAN THE NEXT CHAPTER IS ON THE FREAKING WAY. No, I'm not going to go into Naraku next, or about whatever the hell he's doing, I'm going straight to Sesshoumaru and Kagome meeting Kouga. Okay, I know this chapter is a huge disappointment, especially considering that you wonderful people waited A YEAR for it, but it is 8 pages and I'm working on the next chapter right now but here's something to tide you over until I get that done. If you're upset with that then just think that I could've waited another week or so, risking not getting it done in order to have them both ready for you. So at least you have this.

There's some stuff that I need to tell you guys. First and foremost, if one more person tells me that Lord Sesshoumaru-sama is redundant because Lord means sama, then I will explode. I know. The reason I went with that is because if Kagome just said Sesshoumaru, that seems way too casual for her, as a slave, talking to her master. But at the same time I wanted something that was glaringly more formal for when she felt dejected, so I added Lord for her and Jaken to use when they wanted to be extra humble. So stop e-mailing me/reviewing and telling me that. Kay? Kay.

Second off, in less than a month I am becoming an exchange student. Yes, I will be going to Japan for a year as a high school student. Which, as excited as I am, means that it's going to be impossible for me to even think about this. I mean, I know that it won't be any different for you guys because it's been 10 months since the last update anyway, but it is different because I did actually think about the story, and I actually rewrote it about three times, and then got it all done in three days, and either way I don't know where I'm going with this other than that the story will be pretty much dead-ish once I leave. So I am going to _work my arse off_ to get this as done and wrapped up for you guys as possible in these next three weeks.

I want you to realize though that I have final exams to take and projects to complete and college recommendations to get and packing to do so there is a chance I could leave you all in a very random, very not completed spot. I'm going to try hard though. I know you probably all hate me for not updating for forever, but I am sorry, and believe it or not I really have been thinking about it and working on it for a while. After posting this on I am going to be working on the next chapter for the next two or so hours, so maybe you'll see the next chapter next week? Don't harass me people, I'm on the edge as it is!

And, to lighten the mood a little, you guys have been kind and supportive of me since the beginning. I've gotten a review a week, at least, since I stopped writing, and I never stopped feeling guilty about it. I really appreciate the kindness you've all shown to me, and all the e-mails you have sent and the nice reviews and everything. Please, all of you, continue to be awesome. I do this all for you. And, feel free to e-mail me suggestions or anything else at my e-mail address (it's new!) special. ! Thank you very much. Now off to work!

My little scene separators are not working, so I have no choice but to use these dots. If you're wondering why they're there, that's the reason. I'm sorry; I realize they're very ugly and tacky.

Edit #2: Ahahaha. I make myself laugh. I called Miroku a boushi. That means 'hat'. I amuse myself.


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